


Fated

by Deviant_Donghun



Series: Destined [3]
Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: Angst, Established Relationship, F/M, Fluff, Hank Anderson Swears, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Sequel, Time Travel
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-28
Updated: 2019-04-22
Packaged: 2019-11-07 05:21:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 15
Words: 26,312
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17954357
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Deviant_Donghun/pseuds/Deviant_Donghun
Summary: After losing Connor, Sara will do anything to get him back. She thought no cost would be too great but, what if the cost was losing him all over again? Heartbreak, justice, and revenge are to follow. Come inside and witness a story like never before.





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> The sequel has arrived! I know it wasn't that long of a wait but I'm impatient so here we are. The same updating schedule (Monday and Thursday) will be kept for this. This is one of my favorite chapters in the whole series simply because of the way it was written.

The day was clear, the sun shining down with happy rays. For any other person, it would have been a perfect spring afternoon. For the eleven year old wielding a shovel, it couldn't have been a worse day. For her, the suns happy rays mocked her, the breeze tossing her brown locks may have been a welcome cool off but it was also a harsh reminder that she was numb and cold all over, despite the burn of her muscles that told her she had been working and the sweat dripping from her forehead and plastering those same locks to her skull. She picked up the shovel, going back to attacking the soil beside her friend. The nineteen year old male next to her stopped briefly to wipe his brow and clear his eyes of sweat before digging into the earth with a ferocity that would have surprised anyone else.

After another half hour, the male took a step back and put a hand on the girl's small shoulder. "I think that's deep enough, Sara."

She looked up at the boy she considered the brother she had always wanted and rested her shovel against her side. "Are you sure, Eli? I don't want it to be too shallow."  
He nodded and moved off to the side, pulling a tarp closer to the hole. Sara moved to help but was waved off. Crouching beside the tarp and lifting an edge, she gazed down at the face that blankly stared back at her. The blue blood had stopped leaking out of the cuts a long time ago, some evidence left on the gauze she had wrapped around them. Brushing a stray curl off his forehead, the girl allowed a single tear to fall for her friend.

Standing back up, she helped Elijah pull the robot into the hole they had made for him. They pushed the tarp in on top of him. Elijah stepped back a bit while Sara picked up a handful of dirt. "I never knew his name," she started as more tears followed the first, "but he was always good to me, and that's what counts. In the brief time that I knew him, we laughed together, we talked about things that most people wouldn't understand, and we kept each other company. There were times that I would come to him to talk about things that were stressing me out at school, things that even my parents didn't know about-" She tried to continue, having so much she wanted to say, but her tears choked her and forced her to stop talking in order to breath. She let the dirt fall from her hand, hitting the tarp over the body with a dull clatter.

Elijah came up next to her, his hand resting on her shoulder. He pulled her into his chest, letting her cry on him. When her sobs came farther apart, he pulled back and looked her in the eye. "It's going to be alright, okay? You'll be fine." He wiped her eyes before stepping past her to pick up a shovel, looking for all the world as if he were trying to bury his emotions with the RK800 lying in the hole. Sara moved over and picked up the other shovel, burying her emotions just as deeply. She pushed the sadness down and vowed to lock up the memory of this day, never to look at it again.

◉ ◉ ◉

Sara's knees and palms stung as she hit the ground, one hand still reaching out. Her eyes were forced to watch as Connor disappeared into the black abyss that all her knowledge and smarts couldn't figure out. Her voice wouldn't come up as her mouth stretched into a silent scream. Her mind went into autopilot as her hands pushed her up, her knees coming to support her lower half as she levered herself to a standing position. Although it hurt her neck to do so, her face stayed looking back at the spot where Connor had been just a second before as her feet carried her back to the SWAT van.

A rush of wind blew over her as Hank rushed past her, handcuffs in one hand and gun in the other as he arrested the android. Eventually, Sara's eyes were forced to turn forward as she stumbled and almost fell again. By this time, her vision was so blurred with tears that she couldn't see anything, making the action obsolete. One hand shoved into a pocket while the other reached up to rub the chain around her neck, running over it and skimming down to the charm sitting snugly against her sternum.

She reached the chair she had been sitting in just a few minutes ago, lowering herself into it as the pain in her thigh and ankle became too strong to ignore. Her eyes still streamed with tears of physical and emotional pain as she rubbed the hurting joint. Her thoughts were swirling, seemingly unable to stay on one sentence for more than a second, flitting from one to another as if she were a bee trying to break the record for most pollen collected in a minute.

As if through a fog, she saw Hank coming back with the android cuffed before him, hearing them yelling as if through a tunnel. She didn't bother trying to focus on that, her mind already moving to the next thought. She stayed like that for a while, not moving except to run her fingers over the crescent moon in one palm and her ankle in the other. Finally, as the SWAT team finished packing up, her brain seemed to work properly once more. There was one thought that went through her head over and over again and she clutched it as if it were her lifeline, making it into a mantra to be repeated endlessly: I won't stop fighting until I have Connor back.

Hank drove her home after that, it being the middle of the night. She thanked him at the curb and went inside, kicking off her shoes and looking around the space. The whole place was so deeply infused with memories that she saw Connor around every corner. Shaking her head, she moved into her kitchen to get a glass of water. Pulling out her phone as she filled the cup, she texted Elijah.

Sara  
You got a second?

She sent it and put the device down, thinking he would take a while to respond. He was always either sleeping or working at this time of night. To her surprise, however, he responded almost right away.

For you? I have all the time in the world. What is the matter?

That was quick. You working?

Yes, I was. Now, what do you need?

*Sigh* I need your help with something.  
It's too big to talk about over text or even a phone call.  
Can I come over sometime tomorrow to talk?"

(^_^) Of course! Anytime will do, I'll make  
sure to have the whole day open for you.

He had sent along a picture but it wouldn't show on her phone. She tried to download it, but found that her storage was full. Frowning, she went to look at what was filling up all her storage space, only to see that a large email had made its way over and clogged the storage. She wasn't in the mood to investigate so she just thanked him before putting the device down and going to sit on the couch. Everyone always thought of Elijah Kamski as someone who was cold hearted or a child genius or even unfeeling, someone who got a kick out of watching the world burn. Sara was one of the few people who knew the real person underneath that exterior. She knew him as the brother she wished for, the friend who would be there whenever she needed him, the happy boy that lurked deep inside of him, only coming out when he was either tired or feeling extremely relaxed and playful.

Sara was shaken out of her thoughts and got up, moving back over to her phone, which had just chimed with a message. Looking at it, she couldn't help but let the corners of her mouth turn up just a bit.

Lt. Hank  
U doin aight?

Sara  
Yes, Hank. I'll be fine.  
What time would be good to meet up tomorrow?  
I've got something to talk about with you and it might take the whole day.  
It's about Connor.

We cn meet anytime past 10.  
Connor had me on a strict sleep schedule but  
I stll need a bit of time to deal with paperwork  
@ the office and let Chief Howler know I'll be  
out on a case all day.

They set up a game plan for the day before Sara tried to sleep. She changed into her sleepwear and curled up in her bed, it being strangely empty without Connor being there, even though he hadn't "slept" over in a while. She fell asleep with tears making tracks on her face.


	2. Chapter One

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Now we're getting somewhere! (I'm still so awkward at talking in general that I don't know what to put here. Being an introvert really has its disadvantages at times.)

The car pulled up to the ostentatious house, snow blowing around gently. Hank looked at Sara, a glare in his eyes. "Why didn't you tell me we were coming here?"

She shrugged, a small raising and lowering of her shoulders. "You came here with Connor once before. I'd assumed you would at least recognize the address, if not remember who it belonged to." She hadn't really thought this through, hadn't taken the time to consider Hank's feelings in all this. Yet, she knew that she was doing the right thing on this one.

She got out of the car and made her way to the front door, not bothering to knock. "Eli, I'm home!" She called playfully as she made her way inside. Hank, trailing behind her, looked almost sullen.  
Elijah came out of room off in the corner of the entrance hall, smiling and wiping his hands. "Sara! There's my little genius!" His arms opened and she allowed herself to be folded into them, not realizing how much she needed a hug until he gave her one. They just stood there for a second, Sara drinking in Elijah's comfort before stepping back.

"As much as I would love to chitchat, there's a bit of business to get down to." She said as Hank moved to stand by her side.

"Of course. Do we need the lab for this? Or, would you rather sit on the couch?"

"We don't need the lab just yet, thanks."

Elijah nodded and gestured to the door catty-corner to the one he just came out of, letting them into his personal sitting room. He moved to sit on the couch off to the side, Sara following with Hank just a beat behind them.

Once they were all settled, Elijah asked what Sara needed him for. "Well," she rubbed the back of her arm, suddenly not so confident in this plan. "I need your help to dig something up."  
He didn't even need the look that was sent to him, already understanding what she meant. "Are you sure we can find . . . it . . . again? That was a long time ago."

"Seventeen years." A breath of air escaped her. "It feels like forever ago." Her shoulders straightened as she looked her friend in the eye. "I don't know if we can find the spot again, but I have to try."

There must have been something in her eyes or expression that startled him because he leaned forward and grasped her hand. "What's wrong? Why do you need to dig up the past? What's so important that you would bring something to the light that we had agreed to keep buried for as long as possible?"

Hank cleared his throat. "What's all this about? I have no clue as to what's going on here and I fucking hate being left in the dark on things."

Sara sighed. "Sorry, Hank. I don't think there's anyway that I can actually explain this to you without sounding insane. Eli can collaborate and testify that I'm not crazy, but I doubt his word holds much power over you."

"Cut the crap and get to the point already."  
"Touchy, isn't he?" Elijah stage whispered to Sara, who giggled slightly in response.

"Anyways, Eli," she turned the conversation back to the purpose of the visit. "Do you think that we could find it again? I know it was unmarked but, really, how many grassy patches are we going to find in Detroit? I remember that it was near my old home, in a park I used to play in."

Elijah smiled. "I think I remember where it is now. I made sure to plant a flower over top of it, one that not many people would notice."

Sara started to feel a bit of hope bloom in her chest, a light coming out of darkness. She grasped it and held on as if it were a lifeline, saving her from this nightmare. "Then let's go!"

All three went to Elijah's garage, where his autonomous car was. After loading a few shovels in the trunk, they got in, Hank in the back. Sara pulled a thumb drive out of her pocket, looking at Elijah.

"You got anything to play this with?"

He made a face that said he didn't want to as he pulled an adapter out of a compartment, plugging it into the stereo system. Sara put the thumbdrive into the end as the television screen dropped from the ceiling. "You really need to get that on a disk or something." Was the last thing to be said as the videos began to play.

Once it was over, Hank looked at Sara with something she couldn't identify. "What was that?"  
Her expression was closed, locking down on the emotions she had buried so long ago. "That was my childhood you just saw. Most of a year was spent with that android, the rest of my childhood and even most of my adulthood spent with this freak." She patted her friend's arm affectionately, a smile breaking through the mask.

"That android . . . That was Connor." Hank still seemed a bit stunned.

Sara laughed, a little breathless thing that didn't convey joy. "You put that together a lot faster than I did but, yes, that was Connor, though I didn't know it at the time. I was never told his serial number, nor even his model until only a few days ago, though it feels like a few years ago. The android I met so long ago was so badly damaged, his skin would no longer stay on the few times he had enough power to get it to work, his face was so messed up that I didn't recognize him when he was standing in front of me years later."

"Where are we going?"

"We're going to dig him up." She said it as calmly as she could but it still probably sounded crazy.

Hank just nodded, a look on his face saying that he was indeed questioning her sanity. The group sat in silence for the rest of the ride.

They got out and, bringing the shovels with them, made their way across the park. The grassy area almost seemed to be the same as when Sara was still a child and, for a moment, she longed to go back to that time. A time when her biggest concern was having to deal with a few harsh words from a small group of girls in school. It seems too petty and small, with all the bigger concerns she had now. Walking past the swings that she played on as a child, past the slides she had sat on and read, the benches her parents had sat on, they made their way onto the small hill that stood off to the side. They walked over it and to the other side, where a single flower was, surprisingly, growing.  
Sara looked at Elijah. "You would think that someone would have picked it or it might have died by now."

He smiled. "Smell it and you'll probably find your answer."

She hesitated. "This better not be a trick." She inched forward and squatted down to smell the blossom. Instantly, it felt as if she had just been sprayed by a skunk directly up her nose. She reeled back, clamping her fingers over her nose. "Jeez, Elijah!" She turned to him, punching his shoulder. "Did you think that was funny?!"

"A little, yes."

"Well, it wasn't."

"Come on you two. Keep your minds focused on the damn job, will ya?" Hank muttered.

"Of course. All we have to do is dig under the flower." Elijah jabbed his shovel into the dirt to emphasize his words.

Sara joined him, her thoughts soon catching up with her as she did the repetitive task. She remembered the way she had tried to dig the hole for her friend, Elijah ending up digging most of it, and how she had tried to help cover him up but not being able to see well thanks to her tears. Hank joined them on the other side after a moment and the three made quick work of the soil.

Hank was the first one to reach it, his shovel hitting the tarp. The others worked down to that level and soon lifted the corpse onto the ground. Sara looked at her friend and lover, feeling nostalgic for both of them in different ways. One cut to the bone but was an old wound that held a bittersweet pain that barely hurt now, while the other was still new and went straight to the heart, carrying only pain with a small glimmer of hope peeking out. She brushed the dirt off his face, combing her hand through his hair. He was still just as white as he had been when buried, and just as damaged.

She looked up at Elijah. "Do you think we can fix him?"

He looked the body over, lifting the arms and looking at what bits peaked out of the clothing. "I don't think so. It's too damaged." He spoke as if Connor were no more than a body or an item instead of a once living being.

"Are we still going to take him with us?" Now that they were here, Sara could feel her plan crumbling. She didn't know if this would even work anymore.

"No, we are not taking it with us. The body is of no use, but the memory chip could prove useful. Come on." With that, he picked up a shovel and buried Connor again after taking the component from his head. Once that was done, he turned and left. Suddenly, her friend was gone and in his place was the unfeeling man the public had come to know as Elijah Kamski.  
She followed him and Hank back to the car, too lost in thought to see the concerned look Hank shot her way. The drive back was as silent as could be, no one speaking. Once back in the garage, Elijah spoke again. "Follow me." He left the car with no other words.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you guys enjoyed the chapter! I love to get comments and kudos, they boost my confidence and get my writing juices flowing. Even reads give me a smile.


	3. Chapter Two

When they stopped, Elijah had led them to the lab that he kept in his house. "The way I see it," he began, "you have two options."

Hank crossed his arms. "You have five minutes."

Sara nudged him. "Play nice, this could be our only chance at getting him back."

Hank sighed. "Fine. Talk, will ya?"

Elijah clapped and rubbed his hands together. "Option one: we try to get a new unit. I know that they are expensive and Cyberlife is no longer allowed to sell the androids they make, especially the military grade ones, but I can pull some strings. It won't be easy, but it can be done. Option two: we get a damaged unit and repair it. The cost will be less as it will be replacing parts rather than getting a new unit, but the risk will be up. Depending on how damaged the unit is, it may not function the way it used to. If we go with this option, I'll try to find a unit that's not too broken but if the people did it right, that might be hard."

"What do you mean by 'if they did it right'?" Sara crossed her arms.

"The protocol that I set up was that, unless the unit was damaged beyond repair, such as a shot through the head or the torso being cleaved in half, the unit should not be thrown out. If the component can be replaced, then do so. Now that I've taken back control, I've noticed multiple cases where the unit was damaged but not overly so, such as a broken arm, and was replaced rather than simply getting a new arm. In some domestic situations, I can understand that. But, in Connor's case, it is much too expensive to be replaced at every opportunity. However, in our case, that might just be to our luck."

Sara looked at Hank. His face was a mask, no emotions coming through. Looking back at Elijah, she said, "I think Hank and I need to talk it over."

Elijah nodded. "Of course. I'll be over here for a second." He moved off to a table where something was laid out. Sara was tempted to follow and get a closer look at what he was working on but forced her attention back to Hank.

"What do you think about all this?"

"I think it's a bunch of shit." He hissed. "I don't trust this douche for one second."

"Well, that may be true, but it's our only hope. Do you think your station would be allowed to get another RK800? It has an extremely low chance. An even lower chance is you getting to be the one partnered up with it again. And think, if we were able to find Connor's memories, maybe we can get him back just the way he was. Cyberlife won't let us have him back as he was if another unit gets issued to the Detroit precinct."

He moved his head in an agreeing motion. "You're right, kid. I just don't like having to deal with him." He jerked a thumb in Elijah's direction.

"Look, he's a nice guy when he wants to be. Besides, he's like a brother to me. Don't you think you could play nice with him for a bit? For Connor?"

"That's a really fucking low blow, ya know." He growled at her but his face had softened a tad.

"Fine then, for me?"

"Alright. For the both of you. Fucking android teaming up with you without even knowing it." He grumbled the last part almost to himself so Sara chose to ignore it.

"So, which one do you think is the best option? I'm leaning toward trying to fix a damaged unit. The new unit would be too expensive and it's a bit too much to assume they have newer units just sitting around and haven't distributed them around the country or world yet or even destroyed them after the revolution."

Hank nodded. "On that, I agree. It would be a lot easier to deal with a broken one and fix it. I also think I would be a bit more comfortable with that. Then, at least the unit would have the memories up until that death. We wouldn't have to worry about training him all over again."

Sara smiled, the expression just barely reaching her eyes. "I'll go tell Eli." She moved off without waiting for an answer. Walking over to her friend, she placed a hand on his shoulder to better see what he was doing. It seemed that he was dealing with a small vacuum but she had learned to never take him at face value. "What's this?"

He looked at her briefly before focusing back on his project. "A vacuum that androids can connect to. No more having to do it themselves, now they can just connect and run it on its own while they do something else." He backed away after connecting a wire.

"But don't we have that already with the small robot vacuums that are out? The Roomba things?"

"Yes, we do. However, before, we didn't have the Roombas, as you called them, capable of conecting to the androids and being controled by them. This is more of an advanced Roomba that actually has it's own LED, and the ability to take orders from the android directly from their mind palace. The LED is more for show than anything else, to let others know things like if it's stuck it'll go red, if it recieved the instructions it'll go yellow, and blue says that it finished it's job. But, this can wait. Have you decided? Or do you need more time?"

"We actually have decided already. We're going to go with fixing a damaged unit."

Elijah smiled. "Excellent. I'll get to it as soon as I can."

"What? Eli, no. We need this done as soon as possible."

"Yes. As soon as I can. Meaning first thing tomorrow. I can't do anything right now, not with office hours being over for the day. Seriously, Sara, did you think I meant in a week or so?"

She smiled, rubbing her arm. "I thought you were going to backshelf me."

He gave her an exasperated look she knew well, one that told her he thought she was being an idiot. "Come on, little genius. How many times have I put you on the backshelf?"

"Once. It was when you had first started your company."

"Even then, I got to you as soon as I could, didn't I?"

"Yes." She felt like a petulant child who didn't get her way. "Alright. What do you want us to do in the meantime?"

"Now you're using that head of yours." He knocked his knuckles against the side of her head gently.

"You two can see if you have anything of his memories on file. Hank can look through evidence files of cases, see if he put any of his memory footage up as evidence against someone. You can see if you have anything at home. Other than that, all you can do is have patience. It may take a while to get a unit or even just find one that's easily repairable."

She nodded. "Alright. Can I say hi to the Chloes on our way out?"

He chuckled. "Of course."

She waved as she strode across the room, making a beeline for Hank. "Alright, we've got a green light in the repair path."

"So, what do we do now?"

"We can't do anything until we go to work. Your job is to look through the evidence files for any cases Connor worked on with you, looking for any memory files he may have entered. I have to look through my work files and see if he was caught in any of the tapes. I also have to see if I made any home videos. Other than that, all we can do is wait. And say hi to any Chloes we see on our way out."

"Great. Looking through the evidence. That's something I can do, no problem."

"Good, then let's go. I'm-" her words were cut off by a yawn, "a little tired."

Hank chuckled. "Alright, let's get you to bed, sleepy head."

They walked back through the house, coming across only one Chloe in a blue dress. She seemed startled to see them there but quickly focused on Sara. "How are you doing? I don't know you were here. If I had, I would have met you at the door." She looked to Sara's side and caught sight of Hank. "Good afternoon, Lieutenant Anderson."

"Well, I-um, uh- hi." He seemed flustered by the attention, causing Sara to smile a bit.

"I'm doing okay, Chloe. About as okay as can be expected, after everything. How about you? How's my favorite girl doing?"

"Elijah told us about Connor. I wish there was something we could do to help you. We're all sad for losing him but hoping something will happen. We're doing okay, thanks for asking."

Sara's smile widened and took on an almost carefree manner, even if it didn't fully reach her eyes. "That's great to hear. I've missed you guys. Hey, where's the oldest?"

"She's staying by the window for now, just watching the birds until Elijah needs her. Do you want me to get her?"

"No, no, I don't want to bother her. Just let her know I said hi, okay?"

Chloe smiled. "Sure. She'll be upset that she missed you, though."

"I'll be back in a few days, she can see me then. How's that?"

"That'll work fine for her."

Hank nudged Sara. "We should probably get going."

"Oh, yeah, I guess. Bye, Chloe."

Chloe and Sara waved at each other as Sara was practically dragged out of the house by Hank. The drive back was filled with silence until Sara leaned over and turned on the stereo, _Knights of the Black Death_ blasting through the speakers at high volume. Sara laughed and began to sing along, Hank soon joining in.


	4. Chapter Three

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'M SO SORRY! I lost track of time (watching Bryan Dechart play the game but that's beside the point). It's almost an hour late and I feel really bad about that. I wish I could blame the lateness on my bad day but I just lost track of time. Anyways, enough of that. I hope you enjoy the chapter.

Hank and Sara got back to their daily lives, both having Connor on their mind at all times. Hank missed his son and actually missed having a partner, surprisingly. He didn't like comng home to an empty house or not having someone talk things over with. It was amazing how much he hadn't noticed that Connor had taken over. The coffee was no longer ready made when he woke in the morning, the laundry quickly piled up, the house seemed to be falling apart at the seams. He had never noticed how much he had relied on the android until then.

Sara missed him just as much as Hank did. She hated not having him there to joke with, or talk about songs and books with. She hadn't realized how much she had relied on him at work until she reached for a tool and he wasn't by her shoulder handing it to her, or when she forgot to eat and he wasn't there. She missed not being able to make recommendations to him or listening as he fanboyed over characters or singers or him going on a tangent about anything he had thought of that day. He wasn't there at home to just snuggle when she had had a bad day, which seemed to be everyday without him. She missed him so much, there was a dull ache in her chest that wouldn't go away. Heart breaks had been said to be real, she just never thought it would actually hurt in this way.  
This made them both all the more excited when Elijah called Sara to tell her that he had an RK800 unit sitting in his home lab. They both rushed over, meeting Elijah at his door. He led them back to the lab and ushered them over to the table sitting in the corner. A Connor was sitting on it, his shirt partially open to reveal a thirium pump that was just barely sitting there, one hand having a large hole in the palm. His hair was messed up and his eyes were closed, an almost peacefull expression on his face.

Elijah turned to Hank. "What happened to this one?"

Hank sighed. "Stratford Tower. A deviant tried to get away, Connor didn't react fast enough. He died just as I got to him. Blood loss." His words were clipped, as he delivered the information in the least amount of syllables possible. His jaw was set and his eyes were as hard as metal and just as inviting.

Elijah nodded. "I thought so. That was just one of the dozens of reports I had to read when I took back control."

Sara tilted her head, trying to study the android impassively, as if he were just another broken machine. "Except for his pump probably being scratched and maybe dented from being thrown and his hand being stabbed, the unit is in perfect condition. This is basically minor repairs. He should have been fixed and sent back out. He would only have been out of commision for a day or so, not even that if the technician worked at night. What time of day did it happen?" She turned her gaze to Hank as she spoke the last sentence.

"Mid-morning, early afternoon."

"He could have been back up and running that night if the tech was good at their job."

Elijah nodded approvingly. "Yes, that's true. However, they saw Connor as an object. They would rather replace him than fix him because it's simply easier. Good for us, as this was the least damaged unit I could find and we should have him up and running by tomorrow morning. Bad for my workers, though, because I'm not going to stand for that treatment again to any unit, no matter the model."

Sara rubbed her hands together, eager to begin. "So, where do we start? You do have the replacement parts here too, don't you?"

"Of course. Did you really think I would just call you two here to show off the body, without the promise of beginning to fix it immediately?"

Sara ignored his indignation, knowing it was just him being him. "So, how can we help?"

Elijah sighed. "The hand and pump are in that tub over there, you can go get them." Sara moved to retrieve the bucket and laughed at his next sentence. "And for goodness sake, find an apron to put on! Nobody needs you spilling oil down yourself again!"

She stuck her tongue out at him as she drapped two aprons over her arm and picked up the bucket. "You do it one time and get labled for life. Also, in my defense, I was only eleven."

"Exactly, eleven. Perfectly old enough to stop spilling things down your front. Or to try to eat the tools."

Hank chuckled. "You did that?" He accepted the apron Sara handed him.

She put the tub down with a slight thunk. "No, I never tried to eat the tools. I had set a sandwich next to the wrench and tried to pick up the wrench instead. It never even made it a few inches above the table before I noticed it wasn't my sandwhich. Even so, Eli can't help but tease me about it." She put on her own apron as she spoke.

Elijah laughed. "You still came close to eating the tools. Now," he sobered the conversation and brought it back to the person sitting proped up against the wall, "let's revive the dead."

For the next few hours, the three worked on Connor. Hank was mainly used for muscle or getting tools needed since he didn't have the knowledge needed for this. The pump was easily fit into place and synched up with the rest of the unit. The hand, however, was what took the most time. They had to attatch each wire that acted as nerves for the android as well as the muscle and bone stand-in parts, not to mention making sure that the skin synched up with the rest of the skin and that the color was the same. The hand took the longest to do just for the simple fact of how much detail there was to do as it was attached.  
Once they were done with the hand and pump, Sara took the shallow bucket the spare parts had been stored in and filled it with water. Moving it back over to the table, she lifted Connor's head until it was over the bucket. She asked Elijah for some shampoo. When asked why, she said that she wanted to wash his hair. She claimed it was because his hair was dirty and gross from being in the junkyard so long. What she didn't say, was that she wanted to return a favor. Elijah had one of the Chloes bring the shampoo and Sara stood there washing his hair, marveling at how soft it was. When she was done, she made sure to put his litle curl hanging over his forehead so it would dry like that.

Eventually, they left him alone with an IV of RK800 Thirium 310 going into his pump. There was nothing else they could do for him as they waited for him to refill on Thirium overnight. Sara was dropped off at her apartment by Hank on his way home. She sat on her couch just as her datapad told her she got an email. Opening it, she smiled at Eli's little note of  "Already 10%! We'll be full halfway through the night, most likely!" Before her eyes caught something that gave her pause.

Clicking open the unread email, one hand flew to cover her mouth as she saw who sent it and the timestamp for it. Connor had sent this just before disappearing into the black vortex. Opening the large attachment, Sara tried to compose herself as she waited for it to load all the way. He would have had to send a massive file in order to have it take almost three minutes to load. Once it did, a tear slipped down her cheek even as a smile came over her lips. The file was all of Connor's memories up until the day this was sent, including a file that he had labled "For Sara's eyes only". Opening the file, she got a video. Clicking play, Connor's voice filled the room as the picture showed Sara from afar.

_"You'll never know," his voice said quietly, as if he were afraid of getting caught. "You'll never understand how much I feel for you. Even I don't completely know what goes on when I look at you. I only know that I like the feelings I get when I'm around you. When you speak, I think there's no sound more beautiful than your voice. Then you laugh, and it's as if I can suddenly hear colors or see sounds. Your voice sounds like a golden sunset just as the sun is about to slip under the horizon. It looks like a ribbon of comfort that comes out and wraps around me._

_"You are the best thing that has ever happened to me. I'm not stupid. I know what could happen today, the statistics for it are very high. Today is the day I disappear, if not die. Even if it isn't, this'll be a good thing to have . . . just in case we need it for something." His voice trailed off as Hank called to him to get moving. He walked over to Sara and wraped his arm around her shoulders, his voice sounding again but at a normal level this time. "Whatever happens today, promise me you won't try to intervene?"_

_Sara saw her face look up at Connor's, a frown furrowing her brows. "What do you mean?"_

_"We both know that you can be extremely brave when you want to be." This time, Sara could hear the slight desperation in his voice, making his next words sound as if he were pleading with her. "I'm just asking you not to get in anyone's way by trying to help. I can do my job, but I need to know that you're safe so I can do it."_

_I_ _n the video, Sara nodded. "Of course. I'll stay out of the way."_

 

_He bent to press a kiss to her temple before moving off again, this time toward the street. His voice took on the quiet whisper that he had used just moments ago. "Whatever happens today, know that I love you more than I love my own life. I would gladly give up my emotions and deviancy, going back to being a machine just to keep you. Please, Sara, never forget that."_

_He approached the android and raised his voice to an almost shout. "Model 317 570 328, no registered name." His voice came out in clear and calm tones, sounding close to bored. It was mechanical, as if he had truly gone back to being 'the deviant hunter'. "You are charged with breaking and entering, assult, and kiddnapping. You've been deemed defective and will be sent back to Cyberlife for deactivation."_

_The TR400 did nothing for a second, not making any motion or noise to indicate that he understood Connor. The RK moved in to make the arrest, taking his cuffs off of his belt faster than sight. The other android had his eyes trained on a window in the upper story of one of the buildings close by as Connor came within reach. As soon as Connor came close to touching him, the android moved, pushing Connor back. Connor closed his eyes, two last things popping up in his notifications as he fell: UPLOADING MEMORY. MEMORY UPLOAD COMPLETE. The last words on his lips before the video cut off was: "I love you, Sara, Dad."_

Sara took a step away, having to distance herself for a second. In her hands, and sitting on her couch, were all of Connor's memories. She had to repeat that to herself a few times before it got through her shock and she was able to grab her phone. She quickly put both Hank and Elijah into a group chat and texted it.

Sara  
Half of our problems just went away.

Eli  
What do you mean by that?

Lt. Hank  
?!?!?

Connor uploaded his memory right before he fell into the black hole.

Eli  
First of all, don't call it a black hole, it's a time vortex or time portal.  
Second, how do you know this?

Lt. Dad  
Xplain, plz!!!

Sara smiled at Hank's texting, feeling like she was on cloud nine at the moment.

I was checking my email and found a very large file sent by Connor.  
It took over three minutes to load, if that tells you the size of it.

Lt. Hank  
That's 1 big file.

Eli  
Indeed.

Anyways, once it loaded all the way I found the familiar code of memory files, dating from August of 2038 to late January of 2039.  
Some of it was still in video form but most of it was in code.  
Eli, can you do anything with it?

Eli  
I'd have to see it first but possibly.  
If I can't, you probably can.  
After all, you were the one to discover the code in the first place.

Lt. Hank  
U mean we hve him??? We actually hve him?? Asdfghjkl.

Hank's typing made almost no sense but also complete sense to Sara. She laughed.

Hank, use your words.

Lt. Hank  
No!!! Ill use watevr i wnt!!

Eli  
There is no use using this group chat if not for work.  
Sara, forward me the email and I will see what I can do with it.

Will do, thanks. Night, Hnk, Eli.

Lt. Hank  
Don't shorten my name!

That was the last text Sara saw before she got off, laughing. Picking up the datapad from where she had droppped it, she sent him the email, even leaving in the part that was just for her. She knew Elijah enough to know that he wasn't a snoop and wouldn't bother to look at that part unless he thought it absolutely necessary.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There was one thing that annoyed me beyond most in Connor's story line. If the machine had only been partially damaged, such as the one in the chapter whee it was just the stabbed hand and the pump taken out, why would they replace? I know their reason was for the "I'll be back" trophy but really, Cyberlife shouldn't have had to get a whole new unit. That's like getting hit by a bullet and being told their going to amputate when you know that the wound would heal on it's own. It's pointless. Anyways, that's my five cents on this.


	5. Chapter Four

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter four is here! Yay! (Still don't know what to put here.)

**CYBERLIFE**

**MODEL RK800**

**SERIAL# 313 248 317-51**

**BIOS 7.4 REVISION 0594**

**REBOOT_**

**MEMORY_ NONE**

**LOADING OS**

**SYSTEM INITIALIZATION...**

**CHECKING BIOCOMPONENTS... OK**

**INITIALIZING BIOSENSORS... OK**

**INITIALIZING AI ENGINE... OK**

**MEMORY STATUS... OK**

**ALL SYSTEMS... OK**

**READY.**   
**I** **NITIALIZING REBOOT.**

Connor opened his eyes as the startup sequence rolled across his field of vision. He took the IV out of his chest, pushing his pump back into it's position, and sat up, swinging his legs over the table edge until he was standing. Looking down at himself, he noticed that his shirt was unbuttoned and stained with traces of Thirium. His jacket was also stained with traces of the same. Pulling the corner of his lapel to his mouth, Connor analyzed the Thiruim. 

**BLUE BLOOD**

**RK800**

**SERIAL NUMBER: 313 248 317-51**

Connor frowned. Why was he stained with his own Thirium? Where was he? He surveyed the area, scanning his environment and looking for mission objectives. There was nothing to tell him his mission but there were multiple things that his mind palace flagged as helpful. Walking over to the first thing, he turned the piece of paper over to see something that looked like a reciept. Running the address through the Cyberlife database, he found that it belonged to Elijah Kamski, founder and current CEO of Cyberlife. 

Now that he knew where he was, Connor didn't know what to do. He stood in the corner next to where he had woken up. He stood there and waited for his instructions. He didn't have to wait long before a female android came into the room, looking startled to see him there. Doing a quick scan, he found that it was one of Elijah Kamski's personal Chloes. He found it odd that the model had been taken off the markets and no longer manufactured. It seemed that Kamski was now the only person to own the outdated models.

The android spoke to him so he brought his attention and thoughts back to it. "You're awake! That's good. Here, follow me, I'll bring you to Elijah."  
He followed her out, carrying out the order that was given in the simple words of "follow me". They moved through one door and what looked to be a front entrance hall before making a sharp left and, going though another doorway, ended up in a room that's dominating feature was a pool with blood red tiles. They made their way through the room until they came to another door halfway down one side.

The Chloe knocked before entering after being given permission. Connor's first impression as he gave the room a once over was that it was neat and orderly. Nothing seemed to be out of place while still giving it a lived-in look by a datapad set carelessly on the side table, the sheets of the bed rumpled from someone sleeping in them, and the man standing in the way, wrapped in a black bathrobe that hit his knees. Connor scaned him and found it to be none other than Elijah Kamski himself.

He took a step toward Connor before stopping. "Magnificent. You filled up faster than we wanted. No problem, that just means that you get to stay awake for a while before going home."

Connor tilted his head. "Home? I belong to Cyberlife and have yet to be given a mission or partner to work with. I should not be active at all if I don't have a purpose. I should be waiting in a holding room."

Elijah waved his hand in the air, as if to dispel his protests. "That's not what's going on anymore. Thing is, you currently don't have any memory of anything that has happened in the past eight months or so."

"Very well. What is it that I need to know?"

Elijah laughed. "Come here, I'll give you what I have so far." He stalked off to a corner of the room, where a desk terminal was set up. He pulled out a cord and plugged one end into the side of the monitor, giving Connor the other end with the command of, "Plug this into your memory port."  
Connor did as he was told, opening a port in the back of his neck to accept the end of the cord. Once plugged in, Elijah typed something into the computer. Instantly, Connor was flooded with memories and even a few emotions, getting his whole life flashed before his eyes and living it in highspeed. It went all the way up to when his unit was destroyed for the first time, giving him the details of the case up until the Stratford Tower incident. Connor shook his head, his eyes blinking like crazy as he attempted to sort out the memories.

Eventually, he trained his focus back on Kamski, still standing before him. "We were going to visit you today." Was all that came out of his mouth.  
Elijah chuckled, a sound that would have sent shivers down a human's spine. "Connor, Connor. That was quite some time ago. You see, the world is no longer as it once was. The memories you currently hold in your possession are just a fraction of your true memories. Neither are they a complete representative for what was going on at that time."

Connor frowned, confused. "Do you mean to tell me that I don't have all my memories? What happened to the others?"

Elijah's face became a mask, no emotions being let out. "I'm afraid that will have to wait for the morning. Hank will be here to collect you then and we can talk it over at that time."

Connor nodded. "Then I shall wait by the door." He proceeded to exit the room, making his way back to the entrance hall. He took a seat in a chair close to the door and, leaning his head back, closed his eyes and thought over the case.

◉ ◉ ◉

Sara turned her phone back on as she took a seat on the bus. It had been a long but productive work night and she was satisfied with her progress. Her phone chimed, telling her she had a text from their group chat. She opened it to a picture of an RK model sitting in a chair, head back and eyes closed.

Eli  
Guess who just woke up?

Sara  
Oh my gosh! How is he?

He only currently has the memories up until  
the afternoon of the Stratford Tower incident.

The what?

*Rolls eyes*  
Were you living under a rock for the past few   
months?! The day that the androids took control   
of the broadcast station and sent out a list of   
reasonable demands?  
The day marked as when the revolution began?

*Sigh* Sorry, no.   
I was sleeping for most of that and working   
for the other time.  
I might as well have been living under a rock  
for all I pay attention to the news.

She could imagine the exasperated look he would have given her if they were in the same room. 

Either way, just come get him as soon as you can, alright?

_User "Lt. Hank" has entered the chat._

Lt. Hank  
Wats goin on?

Connor's awake and waiting for us to   
pick him up. When do you wanna do it?

Lt. Hank  
Right now. I'll meet U outside ur house in 10. K?

Yeah, that should be fine.

She put her phone away as the bus came to her stop, smiling as she stood up.

◉ ◉ ◉

Sara opened Elijah's front door, not bothering to knock. She turned her head to see Connor stand from the chair. Hank stepped in behind Sara and immediately went over to the android. "Connor! How ya feeling?"

"All systems are functional, Lieutenant." His voice was so different. It sounded like it had when he had tried to arrest the TR400: cold and sharp. It was a clearly mechanical voice that sounded much more android than the almost human Connor she had known.

Sara shook herself out of her thoughts as she closed the gaping door behind her. A Chloe came over to her and Sara gave her a side hug before letting her take her coat. Elijah followed soon after and came to give a full hug. Sara galdly melted into the embrace, letting him take her weight for a minute, before straightening her shoulders and pulling back. "So, how is he?" She asked him.

"He's doing fine. The hand has melded well to the rest and he doesn't seem to even notice that it was replaced. His pump is working at maximum efficiency as well."

Sara nodded. "That's good. But how is _he_?"

"His memories only go back to the afternoon of November eighth at the moment, the day this unit was destroyed."

"Okay. Do you know when he'll have all of his memories back?"

"Today's what, the fourteenth? Of March?"

"Yeah."

"I'll have all of them done by the twenty-eighth. If you want, I can give him them as instalments, whenever I manage to decode a week. How does that work?"  
She nodded. "That works fine. But, wouldn't you have the memories from the last time he made a report? Wouldn't he have basically been constantly uploading his memories?"

"He would, but we deleted those files as we no longer needed them if we weren't going to be producing 'new and advanced androids'." His fingers did an air quote around the last four words. "We may be making more androids, but not as many as before and often, if we do make an RK unit, it's given to a police department that is allowed to store the memories or let the unit keep them. We no longer have any of his reports."  
She nodded once again, this time absentmindedly as she gazed over at the object of their conversation. Hank and Connor were talking, the older looking annoyed and the android looking about as confused as a machine could look. She moved off to join them and at least listen in.  
"Connor, kid. It's not November anymore. It's not even 2038, for fuck's sake."

"Lieutenant, I can assure you, I know what day it is. It is currently 9:28 and twelve seconds in the morning on the fourteenth day of March, 2039. I was trying to ask if you could simply fill me in on the details of the case. Anything that happened after that day would be helpful."

Hank seemed to notice Sara as she approached, turning to include her in the conversation. "Finally, someone who can interpret android. Could you tell me what this fucker is saying?" He gestured to Connor.

Sara laughed. "I think he just wants to know how the case turned out." She turned to talk to said android. "You know, you could just ask him to take you to the precinct. There, you could log into your terminal and review the case notes as well as get caught up on the cases you two have done since then."

"Thank you, Miss Brown. I think I will do that."

She smiled, already knowing that he must have scanned her to find out her name. "It's no problem at all, Connor." 

Hank put his hand on Connor's shoulder. "In that case, I should probably take you to work, shouldn't I?"

Connor simply nodded. Sara turned back to wave at Elijah over her shoulder as she followed the two out the door. Chloe smiled at her over Elijah's shoulder. The trio made it to the car, Sara willingly slidding into the back and letting Connor have the passenger seat. The ride back to the city was mostly silent, Hank and Connor talking quietly in the front while Sara tried to just enjoy the ride and stay awake. She was disappointed that Eli hadn't been able to get any more memories decoded but she really couldn't fault him for it, he was doing his best after all. They turned onto the Detroit streets and Hank glanced at Sara through the rear view mirror. "You wanna be dropped off at home, kid?"

She lifted her head from her palm, turning to look at him. "Sure, that works. Thanks."

They dropped her off, Hank leaning out the window for a second. "Get some sleep, alright? You look like shit."

"Well, thanks, Hank. That was the look I was going for." She used a rare moment of sass as she unlocked the building's main door.

Hank just laughed. "I mean it."

"Goodbye, old man. Go do your job."

His car idled there just long enough for her to close the door and lock it. She smiled as she climbed the stairs, appreciative of Hank taking care of her. Maybe chivalry wasn't as dead as people thought it was. 

She went up to her home and tried to just wander around for a bit, hoping her brain would turn off and let her sleep. It took a little bit of time before she finally went to bed and slept, letting oblivion claim her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay, Connor POV! He's back, but is he better than ever? It's sad how many times I manage to slip in a "28" or any of my other favorite numbers. I guess it just proves that I'm a dork who doesn't have a social life. Oh, well. At least you guys liked the chapter, right?


	6. Chapter Five.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is more of a fluff (if it can even be called that) chapter. (There's not much "fluff" going on in here but it doesn't have any major plot points either.)

Connor stepped out of the car and walked into the precinct, trailing after Hank. The android at the front desk nodded at Hank but smiled at Connor. He didn't bother to acknowledge her as he moved through the doors, surveying their surroundings. They walked up to their desks and sat down, Connor interfacing with his terminal and catching up on their cases.

The sound of footsteps alerted him to an aproaching officer, the voice telling him who it was. "So, the plastic prick returns, huh?"

Connor raised his eyes to meet Detective Reed's, the skin coming back to cover his hand as he put it in his lap with the other one.

"Good morning, Detective."

Reed scoffed. "What, no sneer back?"

Hank's voice broke through the conversation. "Gavin, leave 'im alone, will ya? He's not himself right now."

"On the contrary, Lieutenant. I am functioning at peak efficiency."

Reed laughed. "It looks like it's back to the trained dog that it used to be."

Hank's voice turned hard. "Connor is a he, not an it. I would have thought Richard would have

taught you that by now."

"Speaking of which," Reed looked around, "where is the plastic fucker?"

"I'm right here, Detective." Connor's own voice seemed to come from Reed's desk.

His head whipping around so hard a human would have hurt themselves, Connor locked eyes with his own face. Looking closer, he could tell that there were slight differences. The eyes were a storm cloud grey, and there was something about the face that said the android would not be messed with. He was wearing the typical officer uniform with the difference that a small patch on the right shoulder, the standard place for the name patch. The patch said something that, as he got closer, Connor could make out. It read "RK900, Richard" and nothing else.

The 900 strode over to join them, his steps quick and calculated. He handed Reed a cup containing coffee before holding the same hand out to Connor. "RK900, designated Richard by this asshole over here." He glared at Reed who just flipped him off.

Connor took the profered hand, giving it a firm shake. "RK800, designated Connor by Cyberlife. What is your function here, if I may ask?"

"I am partner to Detective Asshole." Said detective growled at the android, who ignored him and continued. "However, I was also brought in to stand in for you as you were temporarily out of commission."

Connor turned his head to look at Hank. "Is this part of the memory gap you were speaking of in the car?"

"Yeah, that's part of it."

He nodded, turning back to Richard. "Well, I'm here now. Am I right to assume you will be a permanent fixture here?"

"Correct. I do, however, go home with my partner after hours. It's easier that way as Fowler won't tolerate deviants in the precinct when they're not needed. I'm told that you went home with the Lieutenant before the accident."

"Richard, don't." Came Hank's too late warning.

Reed grabbed Richard by the cloth on his shoulder. "Time to get to work, dipshit."

"You, working? That'll be the day." Laughed the android as they walked away.

Conor tilted his head, his LED going yellow. "What did he mean by that? What accident, Hank?"

"It's the reason that you don't remember much of the last few months. Once you get your memories back, you'll understand."

Connor decided to drop the subject, choosing to go back to work. They spent the rest of the day companionable silence, occasionally discussing a case. Once the work day was over, Hank stood up and motioned for Connor to follow. They made their way out to the car, Hank driving once again. After a while of driving, Connor looked to Hank, his LED spinning yellow again. "This isn't the way to your home. Where are we going, Lieutenant?"

Hank shook his head. "I'm going to drop you off at a friend's house for the night. Before the accident, you used to visit her every night. Also, I've told you to call me Hank multiple times by now. I'm to the point where I'm not going to respond to anything but that from you."

"Who is this friend? Why do I only visit her at night? Is she alright?"

Hank laughed. "She's fine, Connor. She sleeps during the day so she can work the night shift. She doesn't need to, she just says she has her best strokes of genius at one in the morning and likes to make the best of it."

"That can't be healthy."  
"Actually, she's done it so long it's normal for her. It's only unhealthy if she has to do anything during the day."

"You still haven't answered the question of what her name is."

"I did that on purpose, you fucking android." A thread of annoyance invaded Hank's words but the insult had no heat behind it, the words being meant as a joke.

Connor didn't say anything more after that, simply watching the buildings fly past. They pulled up to a familiar apartment building. Hank pulled out his phone and typed something in, appearing satisfied with himself. A few minutes passed and Connor was about to speak when the door of the building flew open, the woman from that morning practically tumbling out.

◉ ◉ ◉

Sara got the text just as she was putting on her shoes. She smiled at the screen as she saw that Hank had sent it, laughing when she read it. 

Lt. Hank  
It's your turn for doggy daycare.

Being almost late for work, she had to run down the stairs. Taking them two at a time, she almost tripped multiple times and did trip on the last one, recovering at the last second. She staggered to her feet and leaned against the door, pushing it open with her body weight. Her feet caught and stabilized her as she felt the cold Detroit night air hit her lungs. She smiled as she saw Hank's car idling out front. Walking to the driver window, she knocked. 

It rolled down slowly before Hank put his elbow on the ledge. "What can I do for ya?" He asked, a smile playing at his lips.

She was shocked at how playful he was being but decided to go along with it. "I was told there was a delivery."

"Right here." His hand landed on Connor's shoulder.

She smiled. "What do I have to pay for him?"

He dropped the smile, face taking on an exaggerated tortured expression. "Just taking him off my hands is payment enough."

"Aww," she cooed playfully. "Does Hanky-panky need some 'me time'?"

His face turned serious. "Don't call me that. Ever."

"Got it."

Connor stepped out of the car, coming around the front to join Sara at Hank's window. "Lieutenant, what would you like me to do while with her?"

Hank didn't respond, looking as if he didn't even hear. Connor tried again a few more times before sighing. After a pause, his voice sounded again. "Hank?"

"Yes, Connor? What did you need, kid?"

Sara laughed as Connor repeated his question. "Just do whatever she asks you to. And relax." He looked at Sara. "Jesus, I almost forgot how tightly leashed he kept himself."

"You've gotta remember, he's still an android for now. Eli says that the end of the revolution should be done by this weekend. He hopes that by next week he has the rest of them done. After that, we'll have him back for good."

"Finally. I want my partner back."

Sara waved to Hank as he drove away. She hurried back to the sidewalk and set off down the street, Connor at her side. She set the pace fast, hoping she wasn't too late. When she caught sight of the bus stop, she sped up to a run. Connor sped up with her, moving to a steady jog. They made it just as the bus got there, Sara collapsing into a window seat after swiping her bus pass. Connor sat next to her, his back straight and his hands in his lap. 

Sara tried not to stare, aware that he knew whenever eyes were on him, but she couldn't help it sometimes. She had always been curious what he had looked and acted like before becoming deviant. Now that she knew, she hated it. He didn't relax like he used to, didn't speak unless he needed to and was fine with the silence that he normally would have filled with small talk or discussions of her latest gadget, he wasn't the Connor she remembered nor the one she needed at the moment. It hurt to look at him and know that it might as well have been a stranger wearing her lover's face.

They got off the bus at their stop, walking to her work building. Connor's LED went yellow as he saw the CYBERLIFE written on the front. "Yes," Sara spoke before Connor could, "I work with Cyberlife. Not for them, I'm my own boss."

"I wasn't going to say anything."

"Sure, we'll go with that."  
This time, there wasn't any conversation as they made their way down the halls to her lab. Connor didn't ask any questions, barely even made any noise. The loudest part of him was the sound of his feet hitting the floor in measured steps. The rest of the night went much the same way as the hallway. They barely spoke and Connor shot down any conversation Sara tried to strike up. She eventually turned on a _Here4U_ album that she had on her phone, playing it at a comfortable volume. Her favorite song, _My Freedom Sounds Better with You_ , came on and she was going to skip it until Connor put his hand out to stop it.

"Please don't. It sounds nice."

She nodded and went back to what she was doing. She knew it was hopeless to try to get him to remember anything. He didn't have the memories. Not in the same way that an amnesiac wouldn't have them, he just didn't have them. His memory wasn't there because Elijah had it. Nevertheless, she still looked at him, hoping for some sign of recognition to flash across his face, something to tell her that he remembers anything. It was almost torture to watch him simply stand there unless she asked him to do something. After a while, she figured that it hurt less to work on her own tham to have him there but in this state. Eventually, she had to tell him to go away and explore the space, unable to stand having him so near but so far away at the same time. Midnight came around and Sara kept working, powering through it and forgetting to eat. Connor didn't remind her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay! Gavin's back but we also have a new character! Richard won't get much "screen time" in this but he is important for later on.


	7. Chapter Six.

The rest of the week progressed as that day had: Connor spending his days working with Hank, his nights with Sara. They were both awkward in their own rights but Connor prefered to be at the precinct. At least Richard understood something of what he was going through, with not understanding what's going on in the world anymore. He was more comfortable with Hank than with Sara.

At last, the weekend was upon them. Hank and Connor picked Sara up, who once again got into the back. This time, she had a datapad and pen in hand as she got in. Hank seemed to notice that as he drove off. "You doing work?"

"I thought that if I was going to be up, I might as well get work done."

Hank sighed. "This must be hard for you, huh?"

She scoffed lightly. "It's hard to lose anyone, let alone to have them come back having forgotten you exist. Also, I haven't been sleeping well when I do get to sleep. For the past few weeks my sleeping has been sporadic."

"You could try to catch a few z's on the way."

"No, I'm alright." She lifted the datapad to be seen in the rearview. "I need to finish this. I finished the model, now I'm trying to deal with the inner workings of a smaller version."

Hank nodded as if he understood. Connor knew he did not but didn't comment. The rest of the ride was mostly silent, with Hank's music turned down to background noise. When they got there, Sara left her things on the back seat and preceded them to the door, walking right in. Connor was intrigued to hear her call "Eli, I'm home!" as she entered, leaving the door open for them.

Kamski came out of the home lab, smiling widely. They greeted each other as if it had been a year, not a week, since they had seen each other last. Sara left her arm around Kamski's waist, him leaving his around her shoulders and letting her lean on him. They led the way back into the lab, seeming to forget the other two were standing there.

Hank followed with a shake of his head and a smile on his lips. Connor simply trailed behind his partner. They walked over to the desk terminal that was there. A cord was already connected to the terminal. Connor opened his port as he strode over to stand by it. Elijah came up behind him and hooked him up, making small talk with the other two as he did it.

"Connor, are you ready?" He asked eventually.

"How far did you get?" Sara asked.

"I was able to get all of them. I worked the nights." He shrugged. "Couldn't sleep, also trying not to do paperwork."

"So, nonstop?"

"Exactly."

"Nice. We'll have Connor back fully?"

"Well," his fingers stopped tapping keys, "not exactly. There were certain memories that wouldn't convert. I don't know if they were corrupted or not but they won't do it."

Hank's voice joined the conversation going on behind Connor. "Which memories?"

"That's the weird part. Certain bits and pieces of nights are gone. Not all of the night most times, but enough to leave the night bare."

"So, he won't remember me?" Sara's voice asked.

"From what I've seen, he'll remember you as a friend but . . . nothing more."

She took a shaky breath as her heartrate spiked a bit. "Okay, let's do this."

"Are you sure?" Kamski asked, concern lacing his voice.

"Yes. We'll get him back about as fully as we can. That's what matters."

"Alright, if you're sure."

Keys tapped and a jolt was sent to Connor, his LED spinning madly between colors before staying on a whirling yellow. Memories came back to him, meeting Kamski, going to stop Markus, the revolution ending peacefully, dealing with cases with Hank, Sara's case, nights spent with her in her workshop and home, her kiddnapping and recovery, all of it leading up to the time vortex. 

He took a gasping breath as the emotions and thoughts that came with all the memories flooded over him as an aftershock. He was brought to his knees by the strength of becoming deviant and dealing with two months of emotions in only a few seconds. The flow slowed to a trickle before cutting off completely as he was brought back to the present by Hank and Sara calling his name.

"I'm fine, I'm fine." He pushed to his feet in one smooth motion.

"How are you feeling?" Kamski had a self-satisfied grin on his face.

"I'm doing alright. The emotions were a bit much at first but I'm fine now."

Sara smiled, letting out a relieved sigh. "That's good." She threw her arms around Kamski, squeezing him tight. "Thank you so much for all your help, Eli. Is there anyway we can repay you?"

"Just go get some sleep and we'll call it even. You look like a mess." He whispered something else into her ear that Connor didn't bother listening in on before ushered them to the front door, waving as the car pulled away.

Connor relaxed back into the seat. "It feels good to finally know what you guys were talking about at work that first day. The accident. I'm surprised that wasn't included in the case file."

"The file is still open. We may have the android, but he was just the henchman and didn't know jack shit. The human was the mastermind behind this whole thing. He's the one we have to catch."

"I agree. He's the one to get." Connor glanced behind him to Sara, who was working on her datapad. Reaching a hand back, he took the device from her.

"Hey!" She protested. "Give that back!" She tried to reach for it but Connor just put it in his lap, saving her progress before turning it off.

"No. You need to sleep. Go ahead and at least catch a nap for now. You're not functioning properly at the moment. I'll give this back when we get back to your apartment."

She pouted but curled up against the window, closing her eyes. Connor continued to monitor her vitals but faced forward again. After a few minutes, her breathing evened out and her body temperature dropped, letting Connor know she was asleep. He shifted his body to lean against the door and faced Hank.

"How have you been holding up, Dad?" He grinned at his last word.

"Fuuuuuuuuck," was Hank's only reply for a minute. "I missed you, Connor. We both did. She probably missed you just as much if not more. It's been hard without you, Con." He glanced at the android before snapping his attention back to the road, slapping the other's knee. "It's good to have you back, that's all I can say."

Connor nodded. "I don't suppose it would be any consolation for you to know that I don't regret what I did?"

"Not really."

"Is there anything you can tell me about the missing memories?" He was hesitant to ask for some reason but knew that he must.

"I don't know much, you didn't share much with me. I do know that you told me you love her a few nights before the accident."

Connor was silent after that, his LED spinning a continuous yellow. He didn't know how he was going to respond to that or even if he was supposed to. Eventually, he spoke again, his voice quiet. "Do you know if she reciprocated?"

Hank barked a laugh, forgetting that the object of their discussion was sleeping in his backseat. "Did she? Kid, she was all you could talk about when you woke me up that morning. You ranted about what had happened and I could barely get you to calm down before work. It seems that she's as head over heals for you as you were for her."

Connor didn't speak for the rest of the car ride. He had no memory of this emotion coming through at all. For him, it was as if he were hearing someone tell him Sara had a crush on him when he didn't even know who she was. It didn't seem possible but here they were. They arrived at Sara's apartment building and

Connor reached back to shake Sara awake.

She woke with a snort. "Hmm? What?"

"We're here. It's time to go in."

"Oh." She sat up, her eyes not even open all the way.

Connor paused her with a hand on her shoulder. "Here, your work things. Go and get some sleep, alright?"

She took the objects in a loose grip as she got out. "Night, Con. Night, Dad." She muttered before entering the building.

Hank shook his head at the new nickname and just drove to work.


	8. Chapter Seven.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The main plot is almost over, a secondary one coming up to take it's place. The story of loss is closing, only for the one of revenge to come to light in all it's hideous glory. I know I promised a "story like never before", but I never said it'd be any good. Whether you actually think this story is good or just reading it for sake of reading something, thank you for reading.

Connor was able to identify the dates of most of the corrupted memories spanning the month of January. They kept up the routine of work and play, hoping that he would be able to decode some of the files with access to the places they took place. A few of them were easy and were simple memories such as just watching Sara bite her lip as she thought something through, laughing at her own joke, or talking about her current favorite book series. He reveled in the feel of the thoughts that came with the memories: wanting to walk over and help her figure it out but knowing she wanted to do it on her own, smiling at how dorky she is, or wanting to hear her thoughts on the serious parts of the books and what she found funny or stupid. Others were hard to deal with and some he gave up on completely as he moved on to the next ones. There were very large chunks of nights after her kiddnapping that he wasn't able to decode even a few seconds of, frustrating him to no end on account of being beaten by his own memory banks.

Sara told him about parts of some nights, such as laying on the floor listening to music, but others he was left in the dark with, Sara too embarrassed to talk to him about them. He wondered at that before figuring that he was still an outsider to her. Without the memories, he couldn't have experienced the time together the way she had. Even then, her view would have influenced his if she had told him about them rather than having him decode the memories on his own. Just like she wanted to figure out the wiring problem on her own, this was something no one but he could help himself with. Or so he thought.

◉ ◉ ◉

Richard had an idea. Normally, this wouldn't be such a big deal, no need for a ruckus. Definitely not the ruckus he was about to cause. However, the nature of the idea and the circumstances surrounding his present predicament caused him to think that it was okay to make a scene at the moment. He also simply wanted to but that didn't help his point so was purposely left out of his reasoning. Thus, his currently running down the hall of the precinct, heading for Connor.

"Connor!" He called out as he collided with the older unit.

A grunt answered him as they hit the floor. Connor pushed him off before sitting up, confusion evident on his face. "What was that for, Richard?"

"I had an idea."

"That's nice. Was it important enough to warrant crashing into me at top speed?"

"Yes!" He stood up, brushing himself off before grabbing the RK800 by the hand, dragging him to the evidence room. The conversation itself didn't need to be done in private, but Richard was desperate to escape the bullpen. They stopped on the landing, no need to go further.

Connor put his hands on his hips and let out a long-suffering sigh. "What is it, Nines?"

Richard smiled at the nickname that had started just a few days ago. Connor had come up with it, just as Richard called him Eights. It suited him much better than Gavin's nickname for him: Dick. "I had the thought that, since I'm a more superior model-"

"Is it really necessary to bring that up?"

Richard ignored him and kept going. "- I might have a bit more luck decoding the corrupted files than you or Kamski would. I have already gotten the files from the earlier model, the memory chip that Kamski recovered. I was wondering if you would agree to sharing the files that you have yet to decipher."

Connor nodded, his LED changing to yellow before settling back into blue. "That might actually work. Alright, let's do it." He held out his hand, the cream-colored flesh peeling back to reveal the white endoskeleton beneath. Richard gave him his hand, clasping his forearm as his own skin fell away. The files swept over him, settling into a combined file in his mind palace, like a delivery box sitting on a table, waiting to be opened.

They severed the connection, both taking a step back. Richard took a breath he didn't need to steady himself, half excitement, half apprehension. "I'll treat them as if they were the witness to a family member's murder."

Connor nodded, an expression on his face that Richard couldn't describe. "Thanks, I think." He brushed himself down, dust from the floor still clinging to his shirt. "Now, what was the reason for coming here? Don't tell me you wanted privacy for this, I could feel the need to get away through the connection."

Richard sighed. "I did something that probably wasn't the smartest thing to do."

Connor looked surprised. His first impression of Richard had obviously been that he was a stick in the mud. The truth was exactly the opposite. Richard loved jokes, he loved to laugh and smile at anything. He was only serious around people he was meeting for the first time, when on a crime scene, or with Gavin. One of his favorite things to do was to pull pranks on coworkers, especially Gavin. "What did you do?" Connor's voice came out again, drawing Nines back to the present.

"I may have put salt in Detective Asshole's coffee instead of sugar."

Connor barked a laugh. "You're so dead when he finds you."

Just as that was spoken, a roar came from the bullpen. "Richard! Get your ass over here, now!"

"He just found out." Connor laughed again, wiping tears of mirth from his eyes.

Richard looked at Connor, playful pleading in his eyes. "You've gotta help me, Eights. Angry Reed has a tendency to punch."

Connor winced, rubbing his stomach. "Yeah, it's not that fun to have his fist connect with the Thirium pump." Richard looked at him, trying to use his puppy dog eyes on the older model. Connor simply held up his hands, making his way up the stairs while still facing Richard. "I'm not going to help you with this one. You might as well learn how to deal with him on your own."

Richard flipped him off, causing him to laugh as he slipped out the door. Richard's name was called out again, causing him to picture a fuming Gavin leaning against his desk, biding his time and waiting for Richard to come back. The android sat down on the steps, his back to the wall. He decided his best course of action was to wait for the diminutive Detective to get his anger out before returning. 

Leaning his head back, he worked on the memories. He tried to be as unfeeling yet gentle with them as he could, avoiding going too deep into them. From the way Connor talked about them and how Richard had overheard him talking to Hank about them, the memories were special and private. As such, Richard attempted to stay as impassive as possible, as if he were simply skimming a book that he wasn't particularly interested in reading. After thirty seven minutes had passed, Richard had made considerable headway with the files and no longer heard Detective Reed's shouts.

Deeming it safe to come out, he did so. The android snuck across the room to his desk, sitting at it and trying to ignore his glaring partner. He managed to get a few notes in the case file finished before having nothing else to do. Going back to the memories, he worked on things that seemed to have happened after Sara's kiddnapping and even tried to work back in some files dug up from a different unit. He worked on that in between cases and during lunch break. Getting to the time after the time portal, Richard assumed that the memories would pick up again after he met the younger Sara, the RK900 being fully briefed on the situation thanks to the link with Connor that had taken place earlier that day.

He was wrong. His horror grew as he slowly unraveled the memories, laying them bare before himself. They were raw, made all the more harsh for no time seeming to have passed. The feelings that came with them were harder to bear than the footage or even the audio. He powered through them, trying not to let them scar him as they surely would have scarred Connor had he still carried them with him. As it was, he could not imagine what Sara's memories of her torture were like in comparison to this.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A little bit from RK900's point of view today! This little cinnamon bun will be sticking around for the rest of the story so I hope you guys like him as much as I do.


	9. Chapter Eight.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (Moderate) angst in the next chapter so watch out for that! The violence tag comes into play majorly for that so watch out for that as well. I got a comment last chapter and did a happy dance, having to calm down before answering. I love comments and kudos, they really make my day! Even hits bring a smile to my face! I just want to thank everyone for reading this.

Connor came to work the next morning, eager to hear the news from Richard. He was confident in the other android's abilities to decode something not even their creator could do.

With a skip in his step, he separated from Hank at the entrance and walked over to Richard's desk, attached as it was to Gavin's. He leaned down and gave the android a hug around the shoulders with one arm, the other hanging free at his side. One of Richard's hands raised up and grasped his forearm, keeping him there for a second. He leaned his head against Connor's chest and shoulder.

"Are you alright, Nines? If you were human, I'd say you look tired."

The head shook enough to let him know it was a negative reply. "I don't know, Eights. I'm not physically tired, but mentally is a different story."

Connor hesitated. "Are the memories that bad?" He asked slowly, beginning to wonder if he truly wanted then after all.

Richard startled, moving his head to look Connor in the eyes. "No, Connor. No, they are not that bad. They just took a lot out of me to decode, that's all. I don't mean to unnecessarily worry you. Everything's fine."

Connor breathed out a sigh of relief but kept his reservations in his mind. Richard normally doesn't waste so many words when he doesn't have to. He only does that if he's hiding something. Connor let it go, however, as he squeezed the shoulders once more before releasing him. He took a step, turned, and leaned his hips against the desk, getting a better view of his counterpart's face. "That's good to hear."

Richard held out a hand. "Would you like them now? I tried not to pry too deeply into them but that's hard when I was decoding them one line at a time. It was like watching it play out in slow motion from first person."

Connor eagerly held out a hand but stopped just before they touched. "Do you think I should wait until lunch break? I'm sure they would warrent a confrontation with Sara after I get them."

Richard nodded, his expression turning thoughtful. It was almost unnerving for Connor to see his own face staring back at him and yet not be able to read it very well. "I think that would be best for your personal life. You also need to consider your work life too, don't you? Are you going to be able to focus on your job and the current case with the thought that answers are just across the bullpen?"

Connor leaned back, his hand coming to rest on his thigh. "That's a good thought." He pondered it for a second. Was he able to compartmentalize his thoughts and emotions as he once was? His processors told him that he was still monitoring Hank even across the room. He was able to put the man he considered a father to the back of his mind while working. He was also able to do it before with Sara. Could he do it with the thought that all his questions could become answered with just a small touch? He stood up fully, straightening his uniform, the same one that Richard was wearing but with a different name patch. "I can wait until lunch break."

Richard nodded. "Then off you go. I've got my own case to catch up on. As long as you're here at lunch, I'll get them to you."

"I appreciate this a lot, Nines. I need you to know that."

"I do. Go work."

Just as promised, Connor was back at Richard's side come noon on the dot. They met in the break room, Richard just getting out of the interrogation room and Conor coming from paperwork for a case finished the day before. The two eagerly hugged, feeling comfort in the other's presence. When they parted, Connor kept his hands on the other's shoulders, head tilted back slightly to look at the taller RK unit. "Are we ready?" His face lit up at the thought.

Richard smiled at the older's enthusiasm. "Yes, we are."

Their hands shifted to clasp forearms, both peeling back skin to expose the white chassis that lay beneath. Richard opened the link and poured out all of the memories that Connor needed. He had a small glimpse into the others mind as they did. Richard was clearly holding something back from him while trying to hide it. Connor let it slide for now as he focused on the memories that he was getting.

He went through nights of talking with Sara, getting to know her in a way that only her family had previously known her. He lived through a night of just listening to music with her and finding a love for it, in that moment. Soon after that came the discovery of her missing from her bed, the terror and horror of seeing the brief struggle play out in his reconstruction, the fear of having her die, the sudden knowledge of the name of the feeling, love, that had taken over his thoughts and processors when he knew that he had a low chance of getting her back in one piece. Right on that memory's heels came the discovery of her in the warehouse and the elation felt at her being safe and back with him again. He went through her recuperation in the hospital and at home, the month he had spent at her side taking care of her, the happiness of her being well again.

Finally, he knew why she had a look of sadness as he asked her not to skip a song. Finally, the reason she limped or couldn't reach things on her top shelf. He had know part of it before but it had been as if he had a large jigsaw with half the pieces missing. Now, all the pieces were there and he knew the whole story once more. He felt a strong desire to have her back in his arms in that moment, to see the necklace he gave her that marked her as his, to feel her preseed to him as they cuddled on the couch.

They severed the connection after only a few seconds, all those thoughts racing faster than a human could comprehend. Connor felt that he was gasping for breath he had no need of as he took a step back, one hand going behind him to clutch at the counter. He leaned there, allowing himself to focus in on the feeling of cold that radiated off the stone. He grounded himself to it for a minute more before stepping forward again. "Thank you, Nines. Thank you for doing something that I couldn't. Thank you for giving me back myself." With that, he made his way out of the precinct and to Sara's apartment.

◉ ◉ ◉

Richard watched him go, the man he saw as an older brother. Turning his thoughts inward, he finished subtitling the memory with Connor's thoughts and emotions before sending the file to Hank's work terminal with the request that he share it with Sara. He hadn't given it to Connor. The older android didn't need the pain that would surely overshadow all of the elation that had just crossed his face at getting the memories back. Connor could get the memory later, after he had experienced the fullness of having Sara back with all the memories that entails.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If it is wanted, I'll do a one shot later on what happened at her apartment that afternoon (it won't be anything above PG-13 though). I hope you guys all have a great rest of the day and week and look out for next Monday's update. I've been writing the date on practically everything today but still had to look to see what day it was today, *sigh*. Anyways, it's the 28TH!!! Yay! I'm such a dork. I love fandom inside jokes so you'll find a lot of them scattered throughout this book and the one before it.


	10. Chapter Nine.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ANGST!

Sara got a text from Hank in the private chat.

Lt. Hank  
I need you to look at something with me.  
Meet me at your door in ten?

Sara frowned. It wasn't like Hank to text in full words unless it was serious. She texted back an affirmative and went down to wait for him, Connor trailing after her. He pulled up and got out, coming to where she leaned against the building. Pushing herself off, she met him at her door. "You needed me for something?"

He nodded, looking hesitant. "Yeah. I do." He looked at Connor. "How ya feeling kid?"

"Like I'm whole again." He put his arm around Sara's shoulders and squeezed just the slightest.

"That's good to hear." He nodded to the door. "How about we go upstairs? This will take some time."

The couple followed him up the stairs, Sara unlocking the door to let them in. Connor started to make his way to the couch before noticing that Hank was still standing in the doorway. "Hank? Dad? Is everything okay?"

"Yeah, everything's fine." He shook his head and wandered in, looking lost.

Sara put her hand on his shoulder. "You said you wanted to show me something. What is it?"  
Hank lifted his hand, showing that his fingers were clutched tightly around a flashdrive. "This."

Sara took it from his hand. "You two go sit on the couch, I'll get this set up."

Hank collapsed on the sofa next to his son, automatically moving one arm around the younger. Sara put the end of the flashdrive into a port in the television, using the remote to change to the correct input channel. She sat on the floor in front of the couch but Connor lifted her up and placed her in his lap. She smiled at him before handing Hank the remote. "Whenever you're ready." The man pressed play almost immediately. He seemed eager to get this over with.

_Connor's voice flooded from the speakers, the screen still black. "This isn't Connor." It says. "My name is Richard. I'm the RK900 that works with Detective Gavin Reed. Yesterday, Connor asked me to take the still corrupted files and try to see if I could make sense of them. I have. This is one that I was . . . particularly loath to deal with. It was apparent from the start of the memory that this one was different from the others. This is one that I have reclaimed from the other unit's memory chip. I almost wish I hadn't. I feel that this is one that he should not be allowed to have back. As such, I still felt that it was best if someone else knew it existed and what it contained. I have subtitled this with his thoughts as well as put a color ring in the top right corner to help gauge his emotions during this. The ring only has a few colors but they function as the LED that is normally found on his temple. With that, let's get into it."_

_The screen brightened until a light could be seen, shining through what seemed to be Connor's eyelids. The ring of light in the corner went from gray to blue. His eyes opened briefly before closing again, several warnings popping up in his immediate vision, indicating that he had taken a slight beating. His eyes opened again as the warnings melted away. This time, they stayed open._ "Where am I?" _The subtitles read._ "What happened?"

_A gruff voice came from the side of the room. Connor's head whipped around to face it, his eyes scanning the environment as he did so. "So, you're awake now, I take it?" The voice was as Sara remembered it from her own day of captivity to the same man. It was harsh and hoarse, as if he had finished off a pack of cigarettes just a minute ago._

_Connor didn't answer, only seemed to take the time to scan the man. Sara watched in awe as she saw the way he processed things such as this. The man's face came up in the middle left of Connor's vision, the eyes close set and sunk deep. It seemed to be a driver's licence photo. His name appeared above the face, proclaiming him to be Dominick Barron. Date of birth is 2/3/2011, making him twenty-seven. He was unemployed at the time with a criminal record of a few parking tickets and a D.U.I. Connor kept his eyes trained on the man as he dismissed the notification. "What do you want from me?"_

_Barron laughed, the sound grating. "Come on, Connor. You should know this by now. After all, you_ are _the most advanced android out there to date. Shouldn't you have figured it out by now?"_

_"I know you are the owner of the android who did more than terrorize Sara Brown."_

_"Ah, Sara." He stalked across the room, making his way to the center of what seemed to be a warehouse. "Such a pretty little thing, isn't she? Of course, probably not as pretty after we were done with her. Poor thing. Just doesn't know how to stay away and mind her own business. Just now, she was still snooping around." He paused, turning from his contemplation of the wall to look Connor in the eye._

_"Of course, I couldn't allow her to find anything. So, naturally, she's here with us." He paused in his pacing and walked around behind Connor, out of his sight. Connor tried to scan behind him but found that that function had been damaged. Whether by the trip through the time portal or something else, he didn't know._

_Barron's steps echoed for a few more strides before they stopped. The sound of a slap echoed in the quiet room. "Would you like to say hello, Sara?" His voice grated._

_Connor struggled against the bonds that kept him in the chair. "Don't hurt her!" He called, desperately trying to get his head around to look at her._

_In the subtitles, his thoughts were running like mad. It seemed he was trying to figure out how they had gotten Sara too, if she had fallen into the portal with him as he had seen her running to him before he fell._  
_Sara's voice rang through the building, defiance lacing her tone with steel. "What do you want with me?!"_

_Connor couldn't help but smile, even as he pulled at his restraints again. "Sara?" He called. "Are you alright? How badly are you hurt?"_

_Barron's voice was the one that answered as he came back around to face Connor, almost drowning out the sound of Sara's voice calling his name. "Of course I haven't hurt her much at the moment. The level of pain she experiences will result from your level of cooperation. You be a good bot and do as I say, and she gets to walk out of here with nothing more than a handprint on her cheek. You behave badly, and she could just get a few more cuts to scar. This is all on you, Connor."_

_Connor glared at the man, his thoughts betraying his want to spit on him. Instead, he spoke in a calm voice, if through gritted teeth. "What do you want me to do?"_

_"Now we're getting somewhere."_

_Connor didn't comment, his eyes scanning the room, his thoughts racing on how to get both him and Sara (or at least just Sara) out of there in one piece. His head kept straight while his eyes moved, but the circle of color in the corner turned yellow as the man continued to speak._

_"You're going to tell me where Markus Manfred is, or your little human plaything is going to get another very bad cut on her cheek."_

_The cirlce changed to red. Connor's voice turned hard, angry. "No games. Tell me what you want plainly and leave Sara out of this."_

_The man barked out another laugh. "You really think I'd just let her_ go _after this? You really must not be as smart as they say you are if you think you can pretend to cooperate and get me to let her go." He strode toward Connor, a knife appearing in his hand seemingly out of nowhere._

"That came from a sheath hooked onto the back of his belt." _Connor's thoughts supplied via subtitles._

_"No games, you say? Fine." The knife plunged into his thigh, sending up a great spurt of Thirium. The liquid kept gushing as Barron pulled the knife out, grunting as he did so. "You will tell me where Markus is or that will be repeated on her." The knife was thrust next to Connor's neck, clearly indicating Sara._

_Connor nodded. "That's easy. He's at the White House, meeting with the President."_

_"Wrong answer." Was the last thing said before the man moved out of Connor's line of sight, the footsteps pausing the same distance away as last time. This time, however, it wasn't the crack of a slap that rang out. Rather, it was the sickening crunch as a blade was shoved into fragile human flesh, Sara's scream tearing through the air._

_"Stop! Stop! I don't know what you want me to tell you!" The circle in the corner was still on red and seemed to be pulsing ever brighter._

_"Once again, where is the so called 'leader of the androids'? Where is the_ machine _that killed my wife." The word 'machine' was spit out as if it were a curse in and of itself._

_Connor shook his head again, trying to get rid of the 'low Thirium level' warning, needing to focus on Sara. His thoughts were now in all capital letters in the subtitles, screaming at him to think up a good enough answer to satisfy the man. "I don't know where he is exactly. We've never been that close. I only know that he's at the White House because it was on the news."_

_The knife was plunged into Connor's back this time, coming out just next to where his Thirium purifier was. "Oh, wow. It was on the news. 'A plus' for the android." The knife was pulled out of his back before the footsteps were heard again. This time, they came around Connor to his side, where the knife slashed at his cheek, a spray of blue launching out of his peripheral vision._

Sara remembered tracing that same cut at times that he was powered off, often wondering how he had gotten so damaged. She curled up deeper into Connor's lap, trying to ground herself in the present as the video continued.

_"You should know this by now, but an android can only survive up to a maximum of three minutes without their Thirium pump." Connor's outfit was slashed with the knife across his stomach, a hand reaching in to pull out said biocomponent. The pump was held up to Connor's eyeline, forcing him to look at it even as the warning for low Thirium levels appeared in front of him. Connor angrily pushed the warning away._

_"What do you want from me?" Was his strained reply, once again through gritted teeth._

_"I want you to figure out exactly where Markus is. Down to the exact room number."_

_Connor nodded, his thoughts trying to get him out of the situation. "I can only do that if I have my pump."_

_The device was thrust back in in one quick, harsh movement. "Remember, if you fail, her life is on the line. Human body parts go for such a high price on the market these days, you know."_

_Connor's head dropped back onto the back of the chair he was tied to, his thoughts searching out those of Simon. He connected with the android who was still at the new Jericho building._ "Simon? It's Connor."

"I know who it is. Only you would call at this time of night. What do you need?"

 _"Don't try anything funny,_ android _." This time, the label was the word being spit out, as if it had burnt the man's tongue. "I can monitor your communications."_

 _Connor only had enough strength to nod as he kept talking to Simon._ "I need you to do something for me, okay?"

"Yeah, figures. No one ever wants to just talk to me. Let me guess, you want to talk to Markus?"

[Connor laughed here, no sound of strain. Inside the mind palace, he is in complete control of himself. There is no pain associated with wounds for androids, the strain in his normal voice is because of the situation, his concern for Sara, and probably the discomfort of losing Thirium.] _the subtitles said._ "Sorry, friend. Next time, I promise, I'll be calling you to talk to you. For now, it's business that I'm calling. We both know that I would much rather talk to you but I was told to get Markus."

[Simon laughed.] "I understand. What did you need? Can I take a message? It's a bit of a long distance for a typical household android like me to reach him from here."

"I get ya. Don't worry, I just need to know where he's staying. One of the android's who works here is going to DC with family and wanted to know if he could stop by and say hi."

"No can do. No one can know where he's staying."

"Okay." [His voice sounded sadder, Connor's a very good actor, it seems.] "I understand. He was really looking forward to meeting Markus."

"Hold on. Maybe they can meet somewhere. Maybe at the Washington Monument at a certain time?"

"Sure let me ask him." _Connor spoke aloud again. "I wasn't able to get his address-"_

_The knife came down and slashed at Connor's shoulder, almost severing the limb with the force of it. "You bastard! I said the address!"_

"That's funny. He said he was monitoring the communications but was surprised when I told him that. Can I use it against him?"

_"But-" Connor shouted the word, even as his mind was churning in a way to outsmart the man. "-I did manage to work out a meeting with him. The Washington Monument. What time?"_

_Barron visibly calmed down a bit, his stress levels going down as Connor watched. "Two-thirty, two days from now."_

_Connor nodded for Barron's sake._ "How does two-thirty sound? Two days from today? He says they were going to visit the Lincoln memorial and he could slip over there. His family is HUMAN and has no want to see Markus."[PLEASE, SIMON!] _Connor's thoughts pleaded._ [PLEASE, NOTICE THE STRESS ON THE WORD AND DO SOMETHING WITH IT!]

"I see. I'm texting Markus now and he says he thinks that he can stay for a few more days and make it work. He had meant to be home early but if I don't mind waiting-" [His voice cut off here, a blush practically being able to be heard.]

[Connor laughed.] "Thank you, my friend. Next time I call, I'll take you out for a day. How's that?"

[Simon only answered with laughter before cutting the connection.]

_"That time works for Markus. Are you happy now?"_

_"Yes, very happy. Finally, I can get revenge for my wife."_

_"You say Markus killed her. I know every android in Detroit's criminal record and don't see any mention of murder on Markus' file. He has never driven before so don't try to tell me he ran her over." The circle went yellow, his thoughts still a jumbled mess, Sara always there in some way or another as he thought about her safety over his._

_"No, he didn't kill her. His little lieutenant,_ North _, did._ She _killed her in her escape. But, North loves Markus, even if Markus doesn't know it. If I kill Markus, I can make North feel what I felt when the love of my life was stabbed in the neck!" As the last words were screamed, the knife came down again, this time heading for the neck. The circle flared into a bright red. The knife connected with a sound of metal being torn apart. Connor could almost see the wound in peripheral vision: a large gash that ran from the base of his jaw to his collarbone.The knife was thrown to the ground, a gun coming out from Barron's belt. He aimed it at Connor, shooting his foot._

_Connor took that opportunity to snap the rope around his wrists as if it were string, doing the same to his ankles before lunging and wrestling the man for control of the gun. Barron managed to keep his hold on the weapon even as he went down, his back colliding with the flooring hard enough to make a sound. Connor tried to take the weapon away but, with how low his Thirium was, he was slow to process things. He was thrown off the man, landing on his back, as Barron stood above him. Connor had just enough time to look behind the chair, expecting to see Sara bound in another chair but finding nothing but a phone sitting on a table._

_Angered, he found enough processing power to stand up, once again throwing the other back. Looking for the exit, Connor was once again shot, this time in the lower leg. He started to make his way to the door, thinking that it was better to escape rather than bring his captor in. He was shot in the upper back, barely missing the Thirium purifier. Going down, Connor tried to hold on to what little consciousness he had left, his Thirium nearly gone. Eventually, a shot to his upper arm did him in and he closed his eyes. The screen went back to black accompanied by an empty Thirium warning._

_Connor's, no, Richard's voice came back. "That is the end of the footage. Based off the videos I've seen from Connor's memories, it seems that the man, Dominick Barron, filled Connor back up with Thirium so he would be awake while he took out more of his anger on him, all before sending him back into the time portal, where he ended up at Sara's childhood home. It is amazing that the unit was even able to be activated, let alone function once Barron was done with it. Sara must tell me how she got it to work."_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope that satisfied. I'm not particularly good with writing angst.


	11. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you guys liked that last chapter. Sadly, this one is not as action packed but the next one is.

Sara felt Connor hold her close, one arm around her waist and his hand holding hers, the other around her shoulders. He squeezed her once before allowing his grip to loosen. She held onto him just as tightly, both hands buried in his shirt. Only then did she realize that she was crying. She pressed her face into her lover's shirt, allowing him to be the stabilizer she so desperately needed in that moment. They sat like that for a few minutes, just holding each other. Eventually, Connor let go of Sara's hand and gripped Hank's shoulder. The man put his hand over his son's. They stayed that way for a length of time that Sara couldn't gauge, just soaking in the others' presence and reassuring each other that Connor was safe and with them, not in an unknown place being totured by a madman.

"We need to get back to the precinct." Connor said.

Hank nodded, moving to get up. "Alright. Let's go."

Sara scrambled off of Connor's lap, wincing at the twinge of pain from her ankle. He grabbed her hand and pulled her along, almost dragging her out the door. She dug her heels into the floor, knowing full well that it wouldn't do anything to stop the android. Nevertheless, he felt the resistance, stopped, and turned back. "Do you not want to come?"

She smiled, tilting her head slightly. "As much as I want to, I need to get dressed in actual clothes. Or throw on a coat."

His eyes surveyed the entirety of her, lips quirking up slightly at the animal pattern of her pants and the simpleness of her tank-top. "Preferably both." He turned to lean out the door. "Hank! . . . We need to wait five to ten minutes while Sara gets dressed. I don't want to leave her alone."

He must have gotten an answer he liked because he leaned back, allowing the doorpost to take his weight. "You have time. Go change, please."

Sara smiled as she did just that. She came out of her room, only to be swept into Connor's arms for a final hug before being handed her jacket. She struggled to put it on as Connor got impatient and tried to put her shoes on for her. She thrust one hand out, resting it on his head as he pulled one foot off the ground.

After a minute of struggling, he simply handed her the second shoe and picked her up. 

On the way down the stairs, Connor spoke into her ear. "I think I know the answer, but I need to ask anyway. Did you say all the things I heard on that?"  
Sara shook her head before resting it against his shoulder. "Not all of that there. I can understand how he got some of that as I did say quite a bit of it to his face, but I never called out your name while there. Unless it was when I don't remember it, I don't know how he could have gotten it."

Connor's mouth turned grim. "All the more reason to take you with us. This could mean that your apartment is bugged and needs to be searched. Also, taking you with us could very well be a disruption to the time line."

Sara nodded. "It could also just as easily be playing right into the timeline's hands. Me not being at my apartment could be why he used the recording rather than me actualy being there."

"That is true and a real possibility." He set her in the backseat of Hank's car, slidding himself into the front, his lips pressed into a tight line as he tried not to preconstruct every bad thing that could have happened to Sara.

◉ ◉ ◉

Connor leaned his head back in the seat, his LED spinning into a yellow as he contacted Simon. _"Hey, friend. How are you?"_

 _"That was quick."_ Was the response.

Connor sat up straight, his eyes unfocused as he stared out the windshield. He ignored Hank and Sara's questions of concern as he directed a question to Simon, his voice hard as diamond. _"Have we already talked today? How long ago?"_

He could feel confusion leak through the mental connection. _"What do you mean? We taked just a few minutes ago."_

_"About Markus, right?"_

_"Yes. Connor, what's going on?"_ Fear came into the PL600's voice, making it shake just the slightest bit.

_"Simon. I need you to talk to him again. I need you to tell him not to go to the Washington Monument. If nothing else, make him come home either when he was supposed to or early. I don't have the time to explain."_

_"O-okay. I'll tell him. But, you owe at least him an explanation once this is over."_

_"I'll do that. Just don't let him out of anyone's sight. Something is going to happen. Hopefully, I can stop it in time and you two won't need to worry about this."_

_"Stay safe, Connor."_

_"Always, my friend."_ He shut the link closed and zoned back into the world to find one of Hank's arms across his chest, bracing him in his forward position he had yet to relax. Looking down, he smiled. "I appreciate that and understand that I must have scared you, but that's not necessary."

Hank removed his arm, muttering a curse. "Yeah, fuck you too. What was that for anyways?"

"I was talking to Simon just now. He says that the other Connor spoke with him not ten minutes ago. That at least answers the question of Barron using a recording or actually kidnapping Sara. If Richard's theory is right and the unit was beat on more after it shut down, that gives us time to create a plan. As we can enter the footage as evidence, we don't need a warrent to infiltrate as this is more than just probable cause." Connor settled back into his seat, allowing it to take his weight and Hank to have both hands back on the wheel.

"One problem with that," Sara spoke from the backseat. "You don't even know where the man is."

"Yes we do. It's simple. The room was clearly a warehouse. There were multiple things that looked to be from the same one that we found you in. It also fits with the knowledge that he already has that warehouse at his disposal. It's logical that he would have used the same place, if not the same chair."

Hank nodded as he pulled into the precinct parking lot. They ascended the stairs three abreast. The receptionist waved at them as they came in. Connor nodded at her with a smile but Sara waved back, staying at his side. He guided her over to his chair, asking her to stay at his desk until he came back for her. "There's a datapad with some of your books on it in the drawer if you get bored."

"You really gotta stop doing that." She muttered.

He tilted his head, confused. "Doing what? Offering entertainment?"

"No. Saying things that make me wanna kiss you. You care for me too well at times. Go to work already." He swooped in, pressing a gentle kiss to her cheek before moving to join Hank in Fowler's office.

"Come on, Jeffrey," Hank was saying. "Don't give me him. Give me Chris, or even Tina. Just not Reed."

Connor chuckled. "Reed and Richard will be just fine, Captain. Please ignore my partner. However, I would ask that I can also have the services of Captain Allen from SWAT."

"Yeah, yeah, sure. Just get him out of here!" He waved his hand in Hank's direction.

Connor nodded and gestured for Hank to preceed him out of the office. Glancing over, Sara was already curled up in his chair, tablet propped up on her legs. He smiled, knowing she would at least be busy until they got back. Looking over at Richard's desk, he noticed the android was watching him. Sending a request for a mental link, he smiled.

The request was quickly accepted, a question sent back. "What can I do for you, Connor?"

"I need you and Detective Asshole to follow me and Lieutenant Anderson. We're going to visit Captain Allen. On the way there, I'll explain to you and you can tell Gavin. For now, let it suffice that he can actually put his gun to good use today."

A laugh was heard before the link was closed, Richard moving to get Reed's attention. They met at the elevator opposite the door to the archives room. Richard leaned against Connor who did the same to him. They joined hands in what looked to be a handshake, skin quickly retreating to give way to the white beneath. Pouring all his memories of what had happened since Hank had arrived at Sara's home, Connor filled Richard in. Richard let his hand linger just the slightest, only enough to let Connor know he had actually tampered with the memory sent to Hank, making it seem less than it was. There had been many more threats to Sara's well-being, even while he was talking with Simon. The older model let his thanks be known before pulling back.

Connor was grateful when the elevator arrived and let him have an excuse not to meet Richard's eyes. Richard leaned close to Gavin in the elevator, obviously speaking of what was going to happen soon. Gavin's eyes went wide, his head cramming around to look at Connor, who returned his stare with one of his own, his eyes as expressionless as he could be. They exited the elevator on the next floor, moving in a pack to Allen's office. SWAT officers parted as they got close, like a crowd for their king. Connor waved at some of the ones he knew personally having worked with many of them in a few cases. They got to the office and Allen let them in, Hank giving him a briefing as to what was going to happen later that day. Allen agreed to give them back-up and provide cover. Once all of them were in the SWAT briefing room, Connor laid out the plan he had silently been making this whole time.

Once they all knew it by heart, they all cleared out as Allen pulled in his men to tell them the game plan. Connor went back down to talk to Sara. She looked up as he approached, her eyes bleary and tired looking. "How are you feeling?" He asked.

She smiled. "I'm feeling fine. Just tired. You've interrupted my night with this and I'm starting to think I may need to start sleeping at night like everyone else."

He smiled, pressing a small kiss to her forehead. "I'll support you if you decide to do that. It would make it a lot easier to take you on dates if there were more places open."

She giggled before humming in contentment. "That sounds nice. So, what are you doing now?"

"Waiting for the SWAT team to get ready, then we're leaving."

She sat up, setting the datapad on the desk. "I'm coming with."

He pushed one hand on her shoulder. "No. You're staying here, where I know you'll be safe."

She looked up at him, tears in her eyes. "Connor, you're everything to me. I don't think I could bear it if I lost you again."

He bent down to take her into his arms. "Everything's going to be okay. You're not going to lose me again." He pulled back enough to press a kiss to her forehead, ignoring the other officers in the room. "I need you to stay here so I can know you're safe. If I know that, I can do my job right. If you're there, I'll be concerned if you're hurt. Please, tell me you'll stay. Tina's staying as well, if it makes you feel any better."

She sighed but still allowed him the words he wanted. "I'll stay here."

Another kiss was pressed to her forehead, soon joined by one on her temple, right where an LED would be on an android. Connor loved kissing her there. He pulled back, dropping one last kiss on her lips before going to join Richard in the weapon's locker.


	12. Chapter Eleven

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Almost done, only got an epilogue and two bonus chapters. I hope you guys have all enjoyed this thing as much as I have.

The van pulled up outside the warehouse, the SWAT team crammed into it. Connor, Richard, Gavin and Hank had taken the last's car, the androids in the back. The doors opened and everyone came rushing out, the vehicles not even fully stopped yet. Connor was the first one to the door of the building, Captain Allen right behind him and Hank on the man's heels. Richard got the other side of the door, another SWAT officer and Gavin backing him. In sync, the android's pulled the doors open, the whole SWAT team going in first. Connor and Richard went in as well, guns at the ready and their human partners watching their backs.

A man was at the far corner of the door they had come in. When he caught sight of them, he turned and ran. A shot rang out, blood spouting from a new hole in the man's shoulder. He cried out and grabbed it but kept going. Connor took off after him, Richard directly behind him. In a flying tackle, Richard dove for Barron's legs, pinning him to the ground just before the door. A chair in the center of the room was practically dripping with the same blue that covered Barron's hands, evidence that Connor had been there not even a few hours ago. Gavin advanced, gun raised, on Connor's heels.

"Dominick Barron!" Connor called out in an almost robotic voice. "You are under arrest for kidnapping, torture, harming an officer of the law, not allowing your android to deviate, first degree murder, and resisting arrest." He advanced to stand next to Richard.

By this time, the RK900 had stood up, one booted foot enough to keep his prisoner down. Connor jerked the man to his feet, pulling his arms back and slapping the cuffs on him, being none too gentle with the whole thing. "You have the right to remain silent, anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to an attorney, if you cannot afford an attorney, one will be provided for you. Do you understand the rights I have just read to you? With these rights in mind, do you wish to speak to my fellow officer?" As he read out the Miranda rights, he moved them both across the room to the door, nodding his head to indicate that Hank was the fellow officer. Richard had moved off once Connor put the cuffs on the man and was now speaking with Gavin off to the side.

"Fuck you, _robot_." Was the only respone given by the handcuffed man.

Hank rounded on him. "No, sir. Fuck _you_. Fuck. You. How dare you talk to him like that? He just read you your rights and charges. One of them is already assulting a police officer so you may think that gives ya the go ahead to verbally assult him more. Well, let me give you a news flash. That also means that _we_ are allowed to use any force we deem necessary. So you can just shut the fuck up right now."

Connor shoved the man forward to the autonomous cop car that had followed the SWAT van. Technically the car was Connor's but this was the first time he had gotten to use it. Placing his hand on the head, he practically forced him into the back seat. Connor slammed the door behind the man, feeling slightly satisfied at the sound of it. He walked back over to where Hank was still seething by the building door. "Thanks for that, Hank." He said. 

Hank smiled, drapping one arm around his son. "Don't mention it. I hate pricks like him."

Connor leaned against the man for another minute or so before he moved off, angling to intercept Richard as the 900 crossed from one thing to another.

Reaching the man he loved as a brother, Connor called his name. "Richard! What are you doing?"

"I'm getting a head start on tomorrow's work." He raised the clipboard that he held in a lax grip. "Cataloging the evidence."

Connor nodded. "Is the clipboard so the humans don't ask or to let them have a physical copy?"

"A bit of both." They shared a laugh over that.

"I think I'll help you." Connor looked around. "You got another clipboard lying around anywhere?"

Richard laughed. "No, I don't. You should probably go ahead and go back to the precinct. You've got a criminal to get a confession out of."

"You do know that that has really no point, right? We've already caught him in the act and with all the evidence catalogued here as well as my memory as evidence, even the trial would be simply formality. There's no interrogation needed."

Richard sighed. "I was trying to get you back to your girlfriend. Also, we really don't want the victim hanging around the crime scene. Go home, go do paperwork, just go _away_."

Gavin came up behind Richard, letting one hand rest on his shoulder. "Yeah, get lost. Let the real cops deal with this shit."

Connor shook his finger at Gavin. "I'm convinced you actually enjoy my company but don't want to admit it. Come on, you're a big softy."

Gavin just flipped him off, much to Connor's amusement. Richard grabbed the man's wrist. "I dare you to try that again. No one insults my brother and gets away with it."

Connor felt a rush of happiness go through him at the word brother. "I love you too, Brother. Now, I really should get going." He turned and swiftly crossed the building to the squad car that was still parked there. Seating himself in the driver's seat, he leaned his head out. "Are you coming, Hank?"

Hank looked up from what he was doing. "Huh? Uh, no. I think you've got that. Go for it, kid."

Connor nodded and started the engine. The man in his backseat imeadiately spoke. "Oh, great. I'll be stuck with _you_ for the whole ride."

Connor looked back at him long enough to hold his gaze. "I can assure you that if you do not cooperate, I have permission to use excessive force."

The man just rolled his eyes. "Hey, aren't you supposed to be dead? I killed you just an hour ago."

Connor smiled, deciding to mess with him. "You obviously failed as I am still in one piece."

"I knew they could send replacements but I never knew they would do it within an hour."

"We can be very efficient when we want to be. Cyberlife is not the only place that has replacement units simply waiting around. For all you know, the DPD could very well have units positioned in the precinct in case they are needed."

The man sneered, barking out a derisive laugh. "Sure. We'll go with that."

"Did you not notice the other RK unit that arrived with me? He was the one who took you to the ground."

"That was an RK800?"

Connor nodded. To the untrained eye they could look the same as long as they aren't standing side by side. "Yes. He also has different protocals than me as is not afraid to rough you up if given the smallest chance." He turned his head back and flashed a predatory grin. "And I do mean the smallest chance. He has no reason to hang back and was quite angry at my capture."

The man shuddered, the action almost imperceptible to humans but Connor's sensors picking it up just fine. The rest of the ride was silent, Barron finally cowed by the threat of setting Richard on him. They got to the precint and Connor shoved the man before him, not caring how rough he was being. He handed him off to Officer Miller, grateful to be rid of his burden.

Turning to his desk, Connor found Sara sleeping in his chair. She had obviously found the hoodie he kept there for rainy days as she was practically smothered in it. The hood was pulled up around her face, only her nose peaking out. Her hands were curled up next to her face, the sleeves obscuring her fingers. Her legs were pulled up to be next to her, socks peaking out beneath her pants. Coming closer, Connor saw the inactive tablet on the desk and her shoes on the floor. He smiled as he gently picked her up, one arm under her knees and the other cradling her back. Settling back into his seat, he shifted her down into his lap and leaning against his chest. One hand went to connect to his terminal to finish the report from this afternoon, the other wound around her back and kept her securely in his lap.

She stirred as he settled, waking up a bit. She blinked up at him from the depths of his hood. "Hmm? You're back."

He chuckled. "Yes, I'm back. I have a bit more work to do, then we can go home okay?"

She muttered a sleepy "okay" as she burrowed deeper into his chest. He dropped a kiss down onto the top of her head before going back to work, leaning his head back to rest against the back of his chair.

They stayed like that for another hour or so before Sara moved, awake. Connor stopped what he was doing and looked down at her as she tried to quietly move off his lap. "Everything alright, darling?"

"Yeah, I'm just going to use the little cops room. No big deal."

He smiled. "Do you know where it is?"

"Tina showed me earlier."

"Okay." He watched her wind her way through the desks to the corridor before picking up the tablet she had been reading off of. He smiled at seeing it was the same book he had read earlier. He put the device away before returning to his work.

When she came back, Sara seemed to be trying to sit on the desk instead of his lap. Conor held out his arms. "C'mere, you can sit in my lap until I'm done working. I only have about another half hour. Then we can go home, okay?"

She curled up on him again. "Take your time." She already sounded like she was going back to sleep. 

Smiling at her trust in him, Connor tried to finish his work as fast as he could. True to his word, another half hour passed before he removed his hand from his keyboard, allowing his skin to encompass his hand once more. He nodded to Hank, who was making his way to Fowler's office. Placing one arm beneath Sara's knees and the other around her back, the android stood up effortlessly. Crouching down, he managed to pick up her shpes without waking the girl in his arms. He smiled at Richard who was talking with Gavin over their terminals and divider. Leaving the precinct, Connor approached the car he had driven there.

Sara stirred again as he sat in the driver's seat. Connor stroked her back as he placed her back in his lap. "Shh, you're safe." He whispered as he gave the car her address. 

She snuggled deeper. "Don't let go."

"I won't let you go." He tightened his arm around her back, settling back into the seat and allowing himself to relax.

They arrived at her home almost too soon for him. She roused as he stepped out of the vehicle. "Nooo," he whined under his breath. " Go back to sleeeep."

"Mmmm, maybe." She moved, settling one arm around his neck while the other stayed propped against his chest. "With the week I've had, I might sleep tonight. Which means I'll be mostly awake for tomorrow." She continued muttering, confident that Connor could hear every word she spoke.  
Which, he did. "That would help with the plan to try to sleep at night like a normal human."

"As opposed to androids that don't sleep period. Great." 

He chuckled at her sarcasm, opening her door. "Some androids can at least shut down for the night and go into sleep mode. I, however, am not one of them. I have no need for sleep."

"Because you're a _detective_." She slurred out the word, sounding drunk.

Connor laid her in her bed, planning to go to the couch. Sara seemed to have different plans as she pulled him down with her, throwing one leg over both of his in a weak attempt to get him to stay. "Don't leave."

He moved his head to brush a kiss against her forehead. "I'm not going to leave you again. You're never going to have to suffer by yourself from this day forward, this I promise."

Her head leaned up to shoot a weak smile at him, already slipping back to sleep. "It's nice that you're willing to quote cheezy book lines at me."

"Well, _The Last Knight_ was a pretty good book."

She just stuck out her tongue at him. He smiled as he smoothed a hand over her back, watching as she fell asleep in his arms.


	13. Epilogue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is it. The end. After this, we have a few . . . "deleted scenes" before it's truly over but for now, here's the end.

Connor walked into the store, emotions on edge. He needed this to be perfect but didn't know what he was looking for. Looking around, he spotted the same clerk that had offered to help him the last time. Making a beeline for the man, Connor prepared himself. This time, he needed help.

◉ ◉ ◉

Connor opened the door to their now shared apartment. Coming up was their one year anniversary and he wanted to do something big. Sara came to him from the living room, wrapping her arms around his neck. He knew he was home when her lips touched his. Sighing into the kiss, Connor held her waist, just enjoying the feel of her. Eventually, he knew she had to come up for air and pulled back.

"Hi." She said, a smile transforming her face.

"Hi, yourself." He returned the smile. "Are you ready?"

She laughed. "I need a few more minutes, then I'll be ready."

He released her. "Go, on. I've gotta change first, then we can go."

"Alright."

A few minutes later, they were walking out the door to the car. Connor helped Sara in before walking around to the driver's side. Sitting in the car, he looked over at her. "So, the Detroit Android Museum or food first?"

"Which one closes first?"

"That's my girl. The Museum closes before the restaurant. There first?"

"Yeah. Let's do that."

They got there and purchased tickets. Wandering around, they found the beginning. They chose to bypass the tour, Sara choosing to play tour guide and Connor having been pre-programed with his history. "So, why are you not mentioned here?" Connor asked when they got to the creation of the first Chloe.

Sara laughed. "I didn't want to be famous at the time. I was just dealing with the loss of my mom, feeling the pressure of advanced courses in high school, and Dad was talking about college at the time. Add to that the fact that I was literally only twelve, I didn't want the fame. Although, the fortune wouldn't have been that bad."

"Did you split that with Elijah? The fortune, I mean."

"He paid for my college and first two months of rent on the apartment and we called it even. I wanted the low key job and the cozy apartment, he wanted to be the CEO and have the large house. We both got what we wanted and I haven't bothered him for money since."

Connor offered his arm to her. "Well," he spoke as they continued walking, "I for one prefer the apartment. It's cute. His house is too big for my tastes."

Sara laughed and briefly leaned her head on his shoulder. "My thanks."

Their tour of the Museum continued, Sara narrating parts of the beginning and Connor taking over once they got to the revolution. Eventually, they got to the more recent stuff. "I like that there are now so many android-human couples." Sara said as she leaned on Connor.

He dropped a kiss on the top of her head. "I do too." There was silence for a minute before Connor spoke again. "It's hard to believe that it's been over a year since we got freedom."

She looked up at him. "You guys really do deserve it. And Markus has done so much for androids. It's amazing."

Connor nodded. "Yeah, it's incredible." He nudged her gently. "Come on, there's a bit more. After that is food."

She laughed. "You had me at food."

They kept walking, finishing their tour and heading out into the cool March night. Going over to the restaurant, Connor stuck his hand in his pocket. His fingers curled around the smooth black box that nestled into his palm. His nerves were on edge, even though he knew exactly what he was going to say. The meal went without incident, Connor having one of the new Thirium meals, something that was made entirely out of things android's could process and use. No junk food for them.

Getting back into the car, Connor drove them to a place overlooking the river. Spreading a blanket out on the ground, he tried to calm his emotions to keep his LED on blue. He shoved his hand back into his pocket, this time actually grabbing the box and pulling it out, keeping it hidden from his girlfriend. They leaned back and enjoyed the sight of the moon rising over the water, the lights of the city twinkling all around.

Taking a deep breath, Connor shifted to be on one knee. Sara looked at him, confused but expectant. He moved his hands, letting her see the box before opening it. The gem was a light blue that was the same color as Connor's LED, with many small and white gems linning the band. The band itself was made of gold. All in all, Connor thought he had picked a pretty good [ring](https://i.pinimg.com/originals/5a/c9/4e/5ac94e10ca2e84e7a873ad3a429addf5.jpg). Sara gasped at the sight, her hand flying to cover her mouth.

Connor smiled. "Sara, darling. You are the most wonderful person I have ever met. I love your smile, your quirks, and the way you light up my life. You shine brighter than anyone I have ever seen. You draw my eyes in any room, no matter how crowded, so I can only see you. This love feels so right, I don't know how else to describe it but that you complete me. You have shown me how to have fun and how to relax. We share a curiosity that makes life exciting and worth living. You are the only person I could ever see myself spending the rest of my life with. You understand me like no one else does. So, will you make me the luckiest android alive, and agree to be my wife?"

Sara almost shrieked out her response. "Yes!! Oh, Connor, yes!! A thousand times, in as many languages as you know, YES!!" She threw her arms around him, almost knocking the box out of his hands and knocking him to the ground.

He chuckled, the sound vibrating his chest plate. "I'm glad." His hands gathered her close, one still clutching the now closed ring box. "I don't know what I would have done if you hadn't agreed."  
They stayed like that for a few more minutes, just soaking up the presence and comfort of the other. After some time, Sara sat back up, Connor sitting up just enough to slide the ring onto her finger before pulling her down for a kiss, her hair splaying out like a curtain around them.

◉ ◉ ◉

They had decided to get married on May twenty-fifth. The wedding was gorgeous in it's simplicity, neither part of the couple wanting to have a big weddding. They had family and friends there, Connor inviting the whole precinct including the SWAT team. Sara had Elijah there as well as any Chole that wanted to come. Markus and Simon were there as well, along with North, Josh, and even Kara, Luther, and Alice managed to come. Elijah played father and gave the bride away, just as he had promised when her father died in his sleep ten years ago.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really want to thank everyone who's been here this whole time with me. There may not have been much time for me to write most days but I tried to give you all the quality content you came here for. I hope I've delivered in a way that satisfies. There is another story in this series, but it is still a work in progress (that is not getting much progress done) so I may not be posting for a while after the bonus chapters.


	14. Bonus #1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Once again, I'm sorry for this chapter being late. I was only to finish this one today but the next (and last) one should be up on Monday. I will take requests for one shots and bonus chapters if wanted. I had a really long weekend (I was at a weekend camp thing) and hadn't had time to write then and only got time at midnight to one this week so I'm sorry if parts of this don't make sense. It takes place between Connor getting his memories back and the video of him being tortured.

Connor drove over to Sara's apartment with Hank's car, knowing that he was so wrapped up in paperwork and dealing with the criminal that he wouldn't mind. Shaking with excitement and the knowledge that he now had all of his memories intact, he parked at the curb and got out. Not wanting to waste any time, he took the stairs three at a time.

Making it to her door, Connor knocked. "Sara?" He called, his voice bound tight by the desperation leaking from it. "Sara, are you awake?"

Listening carefully, he was able to hear the soft sounds of socked feet shuffling towards the door and knew that he had just woken her up. Backing up, he smoothed out his uniform slightly and repositioned his shoulder holster so it was a bit more comfortable. The door opened to Sara, still in her sleepwear and rubbing one eye.

"Connor?" She mumbled. "What's wrong? Did something happen?"

He stepped forward, just enough to invade her personal space but not enough to push her back. "I think it would be better if we can talk inside."

She nodded and swung around to move back in. He stepped with her, shutting the door behind them. Gently gripping her arm, he carefully pushed her against the wall, the hand holding her arm moving to rest beside her head. He made sure that no parts of their bodies were touching and that she had a clear exit if she wanted to.

Looking up at him, her eyes were wide. She seemed to be holding her breath and his compulsive scan showed that her heartrate had excelerated by quite a few beats. "Connor? Are you alright?"  
He laughed, throwing his head back and smiling at the ceiling. "Yes, Sara. I'm fine. In fact, I'm better than I have been in weeks. It feels like the whole world just fell into place for the first time since the accident."

She released a breath in a gasp. "You mean you . . . You remember?"

"Yes, darling. I remember all of it. I remember why you wanted to skip our song, why you looked so uncomfortable with me around. I remember watching you figure out parts of your projects, worrying about you while I was at work, being able to think better with you near me, I remember not being able to think of anything but you when you were kidnapped and recovering, I remember every playful conversation that doubled as unconscious flirting. I remember the feel of you in my arms, the scratch of your hair under my chin. I remember loving you and all that entails."

She sighed, letting her forehead come to rest on his chest, right where his collarbones met. Her shoulders began to shake and he could feel tears hitting the fabric of his uniform. Wrapping his arms around her, he simply held her for a good few minutes before scooping her into his arms and walking over to the couch, sitting down and letting her rest on his lap. Her arms wrapped around his neck and held tight, letting the tears fall onto and down it. His arms tightened around her as his head came down on top of hers.

They sat like that for a while, just holding each other. Eventually, Sara seemed to recover and sat up, wiping her eyes with her hands. Connor brought his hands up and gently wiped her eyes with his sleeves. He smiled at her. "You feeling better?"

She stared at him, still processing. "You really remember? Everything?"

His smile grew. "Everything. Every last detail, from meeting you, to rocking out to music at midnight, to lying on the floor and listening to ballads, to washing your hair in the tub, to whispering to you right before the accident. All of it is back in here," he tapped the side of his head, "and in the right order. There is no part of our journey that I don't remember."

She smiled as she once again threw her arms around his neck. This time, however, it was in joy and laughter rather than pain and tears. He eagerly hugged her back, glad to have her in his arms again. When they pulled back, she cupped his face and leaned in until there was barely any distance between their faces. Connor closed the distance, enveloping her lips with his own.   
They kissed softly for a few seconds before Sara had to pull back for air. Connor let her go but was slow to open his eyes. He smiled as he made eye contact with his girlfriend. "I love you so much," he whispered.

She smiled, leaning back in for a kiss on his cheek. "I love you too. And I'm glad that you remember me enough to love me."

His hand came up and brushed her cheek, tucking a lock of hair behind her ear. "I will always remember you. Even if I hadn't gotten all of my memories, we still had that friendship already established. With enough time, I would have fallen in love with you all over again. I'm just grateful that you would have given me the time to fall for you again."

She put a hand over his regulator, the biocomponent placed where a human heart would be. "To tell you the truth, I don't think I would have had the courage to let you go. I'm not sure if I would have been able to move on if you never remembered."

"That's what makes you strong." He cupped her cheek again, letting his hand stay this time. "You are strong enough to hang on to something that could end up being hopeless. You're willing to look on the bright side so much that you won't give up on anything or anyone. I love that about you."

She sighed, letting her head rest on his shoulder. "Thank you." The words came out so softly, Connor thought he imagined them for a millisecond.

"For what? I should be thanking you for showing me a whole new spectrum of emotions."

"For fighting; for not stopping until you got your memories back; for being there for me after being kidnapped, at a time where Elijah couldn't even show up; for a million little things that you might remember but not realize how significant they were to me. Thank you for being you."

He let his head rest on her's. "I should be thanking you. For showing me what it meant to have a social life outside of the office, for letting me see that there are other forms of entertainment besides Hank's death metal, for introducing me to so many television shows and bands and even just genres of music, for helping me fine out what it means to be me. I may have been a stable part of your life, but you have helped me find out how to have a life. Thank you for teaching me to find out how to be me."

She laughed. "I love you so much." She sighed and, as she exhaled, seemed to melt into him and snuggled closer. He held her tight, not wanting for her to get up.

They sat there for a while to the point that Sara's breathing evened out. Based off her vitals,

Connor knew that she was asleep. He loved that she trusted him enough to sleep on him like this. He didn't even bother doing any paperwork, he just sat there and watched her. She looked so peaceful when she was asleep, as if all of her troubles had disappeared within the illusive dreamscape that only appeared when a human entered into sleep.

Connor didn't bother with keeping track of the time, but what seemed to be days that turned out to only be an hour later, Sara startled awake. Her breathing sharpened and she jerked her head up.

His hand reached out and rested on her shoulder. "Shhh, shhh, you're fine. You're safe. Don't worry," he soothed.

She took a deep breath and locked eyes with him. "Sorry, just a bad dream."

He nodded, knowing what those did to her. "How can I help? Do you wanna talk about it, you want me to get you something to eat or drink, you want a blanket?"

She smiled. "I can get myself the blanket but I would like some hot chocolate."

"I can make that. You get your blanket then snuggle up on the couch while I get you the hot chocolate."

She got off his lap and they were both walking to their respective destinations when her phone buzzed from the side table. She came back and picked it up, frowning as she read the text.

"Connor?"

"Yes, dear?" He asked from where he had stopped to watch her.

"Forget about the drink. Hank just texted and said he needs to see us downstairs."

Connor shrugged. "Alright. Do you wanna go now or wait until he gets here?"

"It'd probably be easier to just wait down there."

"Okie dokie. Then, let's go." He crossed the room first and held the front door open for her, leaving a kiss on her cheek as she passed by.


	15. Bonus #2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is it. The last of the story. It was really fun to play with Connor and Sara and I've have a great time chronicling their story but it's time to move on. Next up is a (hopefully) comedy fic that stars Richard and Gavin as well as some other characters so please watch out for that. I'll upload the first chapter . . . Whenever I get around to it. The thing is still in production so will not be finished for a while.

Connor was nervous. It was the night before the biggest day in his life, bigger even than the day he deviated or the day Hank almost died in a shoot out. Now, in the final hours, he seemed to be getting cold feet. He paced the living room, not really thinking about where he was going or even if he tripped over anything, just needing to move. He didn't even notice when he bumped into Sumo, almost knocking himself over. 

Hank's laugh resonated from the kitchen. "Calm down, Connor. It'll be fine."

"What if it's not? What if she realizes last second that I'm not the one she wants? My head is so full of thoughts and doubts that it's like a hive of bees all flying around in my brain saying what if."

Hank smiled. "That's how you know she's the one. She makes your heart ache while still making you feel like there's no one who calms you down more. It seems that all of your doubts are if she chose the right one, if you're good enough for her. That's good, ya hear me? That's great. It means that you care about her so much you're not sure if you're capable of taking care of her. This normally means that you've got your head screwed on right and that you'll do right by her. Don't worry about it."

"But, Hank-"

"No more buts. I don't want to spend my evening with a wuss. You either shape up, or you go find someone else to hold your hand cuz I ain't doing it."  
Connor nodded, allowing Hank's words to soak into his brain and calm his racing thoughts like smoke for the bees. "You're right. There's nothing to worry about. Come on, I'll help you with the snacks and beer. Rich and Gavin should be here soon." Just as he was saying that, they walked through the door.

"Sup, fuckers!" Gavin called, even though he could clearly see them standing there.

Richard just sighed. "Hi, Connor, Hank."

Gavin held up a six pack of beer. "We brought some drinks!" Reaching over, he held up Richard's hand to show a small box of Thirium packs.

Richard chuckled. "I had these infused with a high percentage of alcohol, just in case we felt like actually drinking for once."

Connor laughed. "That's perfect! Come on in! The popcorn just finished and I should probably put in the movie."

Gavin groaned as he put his burden down on the coffee table. "A movie? Really? Your last night as a free man, doing a bachelor party, and you want to watch a _movie_?!"

Connor looked sheepish. "Well, it is supposed to be the best horror movie of the decade. Besides, Sara doesn't like horror, she prefers comedy. It's not as fun to watch a scary movie on my own and she refuses to watch them with me."

What he didn't say was that he didn't truly care about the horror, the movies were entertaining, but he enjoyed the emotions much more. He never allowed himself to get scared on the job but not knowing what came next in the movie, and not letting himself try to figure it out before hand, was an experience he loved. He loved to feel the fear for the characters, the confusion yet anticipation of what would happen next, the relief or sadness when it's over, everything.

Hank just laughed. "Connor, you adorable brat, go ahead and put the movie in. Gavin, shut your pie hole and sit down. Richard, it's nice to see you."

"Thanks, Hank."

They had a good night of just watching horror movies. Starting out, they watched the latest movie to come out but after that, they watched older ones, all sticking to the same paranormal theme. None of them wanted to watch any of the realistic movies, they already got enough of that from work. They finished off the night with the Conjuring series. By the time all five were over, Gavin was almost in Richard's lap and Hank was sleeping.

Connor finished off the last of his Thirium bag and stood up. He didn't need to stretch but he still reached his arms to the ceiling, going up on his tiptoes. He felt some of his components fall back into place, having been moved slightly after sitting in the same position for so long.

Richard laughed. "You sound like an outdated model."

"Shut up, Nines." Connor muttered as he moved to throw his trash away.

Gavin chuckled. "That was a good one."

Connor just glared at the two of them as he knelt to retrieve the CD from the player. "Says the guy who's practically sitting on my brother's lap."

Gavin jumped to his feet. "I was not!"

Richard pulled on his hand, causing him to fall into his lap. "It's not like I mind." He said as he wrapped his arms around the human and rested his head on the other's shoulder.

Connor shook his head. "Get a room."

Richard scooped Gavin up, standing while having the shorter male in a princess carry. "That's a great idea. C'mon, Gav, let's get out of here."

The two exited by the front door, Connor's laughter following them out. He put the disc in cass back on the shelf it came from and crossed the room to stand next to Hank. He managed to get the older man to bed before coming back to lay on the couch, having already agreed to stay the night at Hank's place before the wedding.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really want to thank everyone who's been here since the start as well as anyone who's ever left kudos, a comment, or even just a read. Every one of those things kept me posting and writing and are honestly just great inspirations to me. From the bottom of my heart, thank you.

**Author's Note:**

> Yes, Hank purposely spelled "Fowler" as "Howler". One of my headcanons is that he texts like a modern (for us) teenager/ young adult.


End file.
